


Living Life in Full Bloom

by Aikori_Ichijouji, AkisMusicBox, ncisduckie, nnjvz, The_Beer_Guy_95



Category: Skip Beat!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, And there was only one (flower) bed, Awkward Flirting, Cat Cafés, Collaboration, Community Garden, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Gardens & Gardening, Idiots to friends to lovers, Just a couple Grade-A Idiots, Kyoko/Ren Week, Kyoko/Ren Week 2020, Meet-Cute, Misunderstandings, OMG they were soilmates!, Ren finally has a therapist, Secret Identity, Viral Meme
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:53:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 20,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25098715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aikori_Ichijouji/pseuds/Aikori_Ichijouji, https://archiveofourown.org/users/AkisMusicBox/pseuds/AkisMusicBox, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ncisduckie/pseuds/ncisduckie, https://archiveofourown.org/users/nnjvz/pseuds/nnjvz, https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Beer_Guy_95/pseuds/The_Beer_Guy_95
Summary: Kuon abandons Hollywood to become Ren Tsuruga,  a vet tech in Tokyo. Ren learns to accept his past with the help of Kyoko, the young lady he meets at his community garden. It'll take a little fairy magic and a lot of patience, but nothing worth having is won easy... because to garden is to believe in tomorrow. KyokoRenWeek2020.
Relationships: Mogami Kyoko/Tsuruga Ren
Comments: 122
Kudos: 52
Collections: A Collection of KyokoRen Week Participant Fics





	1. Chance

**Author's Note:**

> In honor of KyokoRen Week, some of the writers in the Skip Beat! Discord collaborated on two new fics to celebrate our beloved ship!
> 
> In this community garden AU: we chase fairies, unearth secrets and let love bloom.

## 1\. Chance

[AkisMusicBox](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AkisMusicBox/pseuds/AkisMusicBox) [[FFN](https://www.fanfiction.net/u/12161739)]

Weeding had quickly become one of Ren’s favorite activities in the garden. His plants were growing strong and tall, so perhaps he didn’t need to pluck every last sprout attempting to emerge… but it helped clear his mind. _Pluck, pluck, pluck,_ he pulled tiny roots free of the rich, dark soil. Each weed was placed in the garden cart he parked next to his plot. Crouched down, hidden in the jungle that his cucumbers and tomato plants formed around him, he felt at peace.

His therapist had a heyday when he had told her that. Dr. Lee said it made perfect sense that a small plot of land in a community garden was where he found his control, but she encouraged him to ease up on the weed pulling. “Just let the sprouts grow a little larger. Just a little bit and see if it’s truly not bearable,” she had said at the tail end of a session. Had it been any sooner, he would have gone off about how they were _weeds_ and therefore must be eliminated. The garden was his attempt to try and get himself to eat more vegetables. Overall, that would improve his health, so why would he compromise it? Instead, he merely said, “Maybe I will,” on his way out.

Sometimes, he even walked around barefoot in his plot. He only did it when few other gardeners were around though—he didn’t need to be making a spectacle of himself. Most other gardeners were so absorbed in their own tiny farms, covered in their own veils of green, that they didn’t notice. But when his feet padded along the concrete paths in between the plots to grab supplies from the tool shed, they made a sound that was decidedly not a shoe. _Slap, slap, slap_ , would draw most people’s attention for at least a cursory glance. Walking around barefoot was something his old self would have done and he refused to give any passersby any more hints about his identity than he absolutely had to.

To the world, he was Ren Tsuruga anywhere he could get away with it. To the head of his condominium, to his boss, and to his therapist, he was Kuon Hizuri. Even he agreed that changing his name legally would have been a bridge too far. “It’s perfectly understandable that you’ve had to go to great lengths to retain your privacy. I couldn’t imagine the pressure of being a child star, especially one who left acting,” his therapist had said. “In the age of social media, I understand dying your hair and wearing contacts. But is there perchance an opportunity to go by your name with a casual acquaintance? Someone you’d meet in the garden, who’d only ever know you as ‘Hizuri-san’?”

“I’ll think about it,” was all he mustered. Which meant he wouldn’t, because he was still fuming about the existence of Squawker. The idea that bite-sized pieces of text or videos could circulate so quickly, so thoroughly, and so context-free in the global consciousness made his privacy constantly under threat.

Being a child actor from California had its own set of challenges, for certain. However, when he moved to his father’s home country and started going to veterinary school, it became more tolerable. Animals had more manageable and understandable egos than actors. Pet owners had their own struggles but they generally came from a place of care. People who came to the clinic weren’t even interested in talking to him, a mere veterinary technician, as they all were eager to have Dr. Takarada give his assessment. It was just fine with Ren. His life was _just fine_.

Or it was… Until some person decided to dig through old footage of the TV show and create a supercut of every overreaction, every expression, and every catchphrase that young Kuon had been filmed saying. From that, a series of reaction gifs appeared. Merchandise in Akihabara, which clearly had zero consideration for any copyright, exploded and pictures of the purchasers showing off their treasures abounded. His blond hair and bright green eyes were inescapable. That’s when he got a therapist, and from that, a plot in a community garden near his apartment.

But the garden was working. The posts slowed down. Life had gotten a bit easier, so he decided in about six months he’d try introducing himself to someone in the garden as _“Hizuri”_. Maybe the cute girl with the plot at the far end of the allotment. Her plot was the furthest away from the tool shed, so he had little excuse to wander over in her direction. He was lucky to at least catch glimpses of her chestnut hair bobbing up and down in the distance.

One evening, he dared to go walk by her plot to at least get an idea of what she was planting. He had spotted lavender, rosemary, and mint right off of the bat. _Fresh herbs. That’s lovely._ The mint threatened to overtake the patch of thyme next to it. At the far end of the plot, violets, bluebells, and coneflowers were jammed together. _Maybe she’s trying to attract more bees? It’s fairly crowded though…_ He managed to sneak a glimpse of a tiny, model house inside of the flower cluster before he heard the clanking latch of the fence around the allotment. He then spotted chestnut hair in the distance. _She’s coming._

His feet slapped against the pavement as he bolted away from her plot as quickly as possible, far enough away to give him a modicum of deniability. It had made him feel somewhat a fool, but he took comfort in the fact she kept odd hours too.

When it was just the two of them, separated by several plots, he’d give the wisp of a girl a nod or a wave. Sometimes, she would return them with a smile. Other times, she’d be so caught up in her fervent efforts to control the spread of mint that she’d miss it. He didn’t mind, generally. He enjoyed the way her face scrunched up or the squeaks and growls that emerged from her while she made horticultural war. He thought once his plants fruited, he could strike up a bargain. _Mint for tomatoes. Rosemary for lettuce._

But his plants hadn’t fruited yet. The memes still prevailed. So, when she arrived early that morning and she kept staring at him, it filled him with dread. If she knew, the jig was up. He’d have to abandon his garden. His attempts at better nutrition would be thwarted because his own sanity would be at stake.

He loved his little plot of land. His plants were thriving. The weeds were plucked. The bustling of Tokyo couldn’t reach him there, so his mind was quiet. He loved his garden in the urban jungle more than he had ever loved a place before, so when he saw her walking up the concrete path to the tool shed, gloves in one hand and shears in another, he knew he had to act. He had to take a chance.

He grabbed his garden cart and followed her. He hadn’t indulged in the luxury of taking his shoes off that day, so the rolling of the cart on the concrete indicated his presence. It made it clear he wasn’t trying to sneak up on her; they were going the same way. When they reached the tool shed, he wasn’t ready for her to whip around and say, “I’m very sorry, but do you recognize me?!”

He froze. Her expression tinted with panic and her grip tightened on the shears. He held a hand up. “I’m sorry? I’ve seen you here many times, but beyond that, no.”

Her face lightened and her grip on the sheers loosened. She sighed. “Thank goodness. I work at a… Specialty cafe and sometimes the customers are a bit… Much if I see them in public.” She chuckled. “But I’d have sworn I’d have recognized you if you were a customer! You’re so…” Her eyes widened and she slapped her gloves over her mouth. “I’m sorry!”

The knot forming between Ren’s shoulderblades loosened. “Vertically gifted?” he finished. “I do tend to leave an impression.”

She lowered the gloves. “Your garden does, as well! It’s immaculate!”

“Thank you,” he said, feeling the smallest flutter in his stomach. “I’ve happened to notice that your herbs are flourishing as well. Would you perhaps like to exchange some for vegetables once mine fruit?”

“Oh!” she said and looked down. “I’m sorry. The plot isn’t actually mine. It belongs to the cafe, so any herbs I harvest belong to them. The only reason I volunteered to take care of it was that I’d be allowed to use a fourth of the plot for my own plants. and I chose to add flowers.” As if he could see an idea spark in her mind, her eyes lit up and flicked to him. “But, flowers! I can trade fresh flowers, for sure! If you like them? Or, if someone in your life… Would?”

_This was ridiculous!_ He felt like a school kid. His palm sweated around the handle of the garden cart. He chose his words carefully: “That would be lovely. I’ve never had a knack for picking out colors to add to my apartment.”

She smiled. “Thank you so much! Oh, my name is Kyoko Mogami.” She gave a quick bow.

“Ren Tsuruga.” He’d made plenty of progress that day; no need to push it.

“Tsuruga-san,” she said. “Could I perhaps bother you for one more thing? I could use some advice on how to get my plants under control.”

“Of course,” he said and scooted out of her way, so she could lead him back to her plot. She did and part of him thought that he’d happily follow her wherever she led. _Stupid teenager-type thoughts. Assuming you know someone based on a few things you’ve gleaned from exposure._ But she worked hard and was full of energy. And she gardened, which meant they actually had something in common.

When they arrived at her plot, she pointed her shears. “I think my problem is obvious.” She indicated the mint sprawling through the patch. He knelt and poked at the leaves, lifting stems and looking at the ground below. “I know the best option would be to pull it all out,” she continued. “But mint is a really popular addition in our drinks, especially this time of year. The hibiscus mint tea is delicious!”

He couldn’t help it; the mint, thyme, and lavender were fragrant and it made him happy. “Perhaps I should come and try it sometime?”

“Maybe?” she squeaked. “But, I don’t know if it’s your kind of place. It’s… cramped! It’s cramped, so small for a guy of your stature.”

He stifled his disappointment until she said, “I’ll bring you a to-go cup! As a thank you.”

He nodded and stood. “I have a book on herbs that should help us out. You can borrow it if you like. And for right now, I’d say the best option is to get some dividers and try to control the above-ground spread. I have some at my apartment.” Not yet, he’d have to go to the store first, but that wasn’t a concern. “You could borrow them. Consider it an investment in our agreement.”

She bowed at the waist this time. “Thank you so much, Tsuruga-san! You have no idea how grateful I am. I’ll be coming back this evening after work, will I see you then?” She straightened slightly and pushed her bangs out of her face. Her golden eyes shone brightly.

“Yes,” he agreed without thinking. “I can bring it all tonight.”

She grinned. “Excellent! I’ll be here thirty minutes before the garden closes for the day. See you then!”

* * *

He waited by her plot that evening with his book and a roll of bamboo edging that stood about as tall as his hand. It would have been a simple job to install the edging himself, but he chose to wait. He chose to be social and spend whatever time he could with Mogami, so instead he flipped through his book to the section on flowers to read up on her fourth of the plot. _Perhaps it’ll help me decipher why she has the ceramic house in it._ The figurine could have fit in his hand as well, the bright-red roof and grey stone walls adding a contrast to the plants. It was certainly cute. _Perhaps she needed a section to meet her aesthetics. It’s almost like a tiny meadow, something you’d read about in a fairy tale._

He still hadn’t decided if he would ask her when she arrived. There was a grin on her face and two reddish-pink beverages with crushed mint floating inside in her hands. “Thanks again, Tsuruga-san!” she said cheerfully. The sun had set not too long ago but it was never truly dark in Tokyo. _Especially if she keeps smiling like that._

She offered him one of the drinks. “Here you go!” she said, handing him the ice-cold cup. The clear, plastic cup had no branding on it, though, so he couldn’t discern where she worked.

“Thank you, Mogami-san.” He took a sip. She watched him expectantly. Floral, fruity, and almost saccharine, but the mint cut through the sweetness. “Lovely,” he said, and only then did she take a drink of hers.

“It’s my favorite!” she said. “The main reason I took the job. Anyway…” She pointed to the divider roll. “That’s beautiful! So we put it around the edges of the mint?”

He nodded. “The theory is that the stems need to stay away from the soil, to give it the message that there isn’t any more room to roam.”

“Perfect! Let’s get to work! Oh, and my boss said that I can bring you one free drink once per week as a rental fee for the supplies.”

He feared how sweet the drinks coming from the cafe would get, but if the implication was that he would be able to have a nice chat with her once a week, then he’d learn to bear with it. _Even Dr. Lee would approve of this arrangement, I think._ “That’s kind, thank you. Let’s get to work.”

They chatted as they worked and after a while, he started pulling weeds out. “I’m sorry,” she said and pointed to the growing pile. “Half the time I don’t even notice, mostly because I like how natural the whole thing looks. It’s like a meadow!”

“I’m only removing the ones that are in the way of the divider’s path. My plot is focused on growing efficiency, but there’s nothing wrong with a garden focused on aesthetics,” he said, finding a rhythm in his _pluck, pluck, pluck_ -ing.

“Well,” she said tentatively. “It’s not simply that. I had an ulterior motive for volunteering for these duties. I mean, the herbs the cafe planted were already what I needed. I just needed the flowers to see if the rumors were true.”

His stomach flipped. It couldn’t be about him, could it? What would herbs and flowers have to do with Kuon Hizuri? “What rumors?” he asked, plucking furiously, trying to control the quiver in his voice.

In his periphery, he saw her lean closer to him. Her voice lowered. “About this garden. It’s supposed to be one of the few places in Tokyo where you can find fairies!”

He put on a poker-face and looked up at her. She was smiling, a fire in her eyes and a smudge of dirt on her cheek. _She’s serious._

“Fairies? No, I… hadn’t heard that.”

She nodded eagerly. “I thought that if I let the plot grow naturally, it would attract them. But it doesn’t seem to be working. I’m thinking they want to see more care and attention, so getting the mint under control is the first big challenge.” Her expression softened. “The more I thought about it at work, the more I realized how lucky I am we spoke, Tsuruga-san. That your guidance is what I needed!”

She sat back on her knees and folded her hands together. “I hate to be a burden, Tsuruga-san, but I have to ask you: will you help me create the perfect fairy garden? Please?”

### Author Notes

Christmas came early for me when I was granted the right to blend my favorite AU ideas for my favorite authors to run with.

~[AkisMusicBox](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AkisMusicBox/pseuds/AkisMusicBox)


	2. Pictures

## 2\. Pictures

[nnjvz](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nnjvz/pseuds/nnjvz) [[FFN](https://www.fanfiction.net/u/10961114)]

“A… Fairy garden?” Ren’s mind froze, his hands unconsciously pulling weeds out faster as he tried to think of how to respond.

“Yes! You’re so good at caring for your vegetables. I hoped you could maybe… Teach me some of your tricks?” Kyoko asked, looking up at him.

He swallowed. His throat dry at the entreating look she cast at him.

“I’m… not sure what I could do. I’m new to this myself. I’m sure…” Ren broke off, the dejected atmosphere around her slumped figure halting his denial. “I’m sure I could help you though in some way. It’s best to start with the basics. Like pulling weeds to cultivate the plants you want and help them flourish.”

Kyoko perked up, throwing him a blinding smile before turning her attention to his hands, still working on the weeds.

“So, I just do this?” Kyoko asked as she pulled at the leaves of the weeds nearest her.

“Careful!” Ren responded as he looked over. “You want to pull from the base.”

“Like this?” Kyoko tried again.

“No, here put your hands like this,” Ren said, moving close to rearrange her hands. “Now carefully grasp the base and pull gently. You want to keep the stem intact and pull out the roots. That’s what will stop the weeds from growing.”

_Pluck, pluck, pluck._

“There you go, like that!” Ren praised her a few tries later.

“Yes!” Kyoko cried, grinning up at him.

It was at this moment he realized just how close they were. As both of them froze, Ren processed their position. Their hands were entangled with Ren leaning over her shoulder. Self-conscious, he pulled back and coughed, trying to ignore the lovely blush spreading across Kyoko’s cheeks, and the urge to lean even closer.

“I think that’s enough for tonight; we can work on this again another day,” he said, glancing at the darkening sky. Before his courage deserted him he asked, “Could I drive you home?”

“Umm, I don’t think that is necessary. I live close by; I can get home on my own.” Kyoko stated as Ren noticed her eyes shift to the side and her shoulders tense up.

“Please? I would worry that something happened if I didn’t make sure you got back safely.” Ren asked, trying to reassure her and himself. “Or at least let me walk you part of the way? And then you can message me when you get home?” Ren offered.

Her shoulders easing, Kyoko grinned up at him and nodded, “I can do that!”

Pulling out her phone, Kyoko swapped numbers with Ren as he tried to temper his reaction to learning her phone number. _Calm down, you are getting this to help her, nothing more._

Minutes later the two of them had packed up all their things and walked in the direction of Kyoko’s home.

“Do you usually work late?” Ren asked.

After a moment Kyoko replied. “Not very late, unless I’m asked to cover the evening shift. Our customers like a different type of server for the evening.” The last sentence was muttered so quietly Ren almost missed it. Curious about her meaning, Ren was tempted to press further but reconsidered, not wanting to scare her off.

“What do you do, Tsuruga-san?” Kyoko asked.

“I work at a veterinary clinic.”

Kyoko’s eyes went wide at this response. “Ooo! Really? So, you work with animals all day?”

“Yes.”

The two chatted about their favorite animals and which types made the best pets as they walked. Ren relaxed as he watched the delighted expressions pass over his companion’s face until they reached the traffic lights.

“Here is where we part,” Kyoko said. Ren noticed a slight slump in her posture as she said this.

Not wanting to part with her feeling sad, Ren racked his brain for a topic. He finally asked: “So, what will the perfect fairy garden need?”

Immediately her countenance brightened at the mention of fairies.

“Well, from what I read, fairies like a garden with lots of flowers and herbs. To encourage them to come and stay, a home should be provided as well as some water and food. Oh! And something shiny is always nice to attract them.”

“Well, you have the home and the plants. What were you going to do about the rest?”

“I’m not sure. I thought about building a little pond, but I don’t think I have space for that.”

“How big would it need to be?” Ren asked, wanting to prolong their time together.

“Hmm…” Kyoko hummed. “At least the size of a plate? But it would need to hold water.”

“Would a dog bowl work? It would definitely hold water, and I’m sure I could find a larger sized one that would still fit nicely in your garden,” Ren offered.

Eyes brightening, Kyoko looked up at him. “Really! Ooh, yes! That sounds perfect. And I could decorate around it with a few stones and crystals…” Her voice trailed off as her face turned serious. “Oh, but I couldn’t inconvenience you like this. You already loaned your dividers and time to me; I can’t be selfish and take more from you.”

“Really, it’s no problem. We usually have some extra bowls lying around that we no longer use. And besides, I said I would help you with your garden,” Ren replied.

“Well then, thank you so much Tsuruga-san!”

“Then I will meet you tomorrow with the bowl?” Ren asked the beaming girl, clenching his hands to prevent himself from pulling her close.

“That sounds great! See you tomorrow, Tsuruga-san!” Kyoko answered, turning to continue her walk home.

“Don’t forget to let me know you got home safe!” Ren called after her.

“I won’t!” she replied, waving at him before disappearing around the corner of a building.

Sighing in the silence of her departure, Ren turned and headed towards his apartment for the night. Thoughts of how to ask his boss for one of the dog bowls without answering too many probing questions flew through his mind, interspersed with flashes of golden eyes and beautiful smiles.

His phone chirped with a text as he got ready for bed, jolting him from his thoughts.

**[Thank you again for your help, Tsuruga-san! I am back safe and sound. See you tomorrow. - Mogami Kyoko]**

Ren let out a sigh of relief and replied promptly.

**[Glad everything is okay. See you tomorrow. -Tsuruga Ren]**

* * *

At work in the morning, Ren sorted through the stacks of dog bowls at their clinic, seeing if any would work for a fairy garden pond. Metal— _No_ , ceramic bone— _No_ , collapsible— _No_. Several minutes later, Ren finally found one that might work. It was white with multicolored butterflies and flowers around the outside. Grinning, Ren held the bowl up in triumph before he noticed someone in the doorway of the storeroom.

“Found something?” Dr. Lory Takarada asked, head tilting to the side.

“Umm… Yes, boss. I… Uh… Promised to give the bowl to a… Client,” Ren stammered, caught off guard by the appearance of his boss.

“You know, for a former actor, you are terrible at lying,” Dr. Takarada stated quietly as he walked into the room.

Ren blanched at the reminder of his past before hurrying to justify the situation. “Someone needed a dog bowl and I offered to bring her one.”

“Oh? Her?” Dr. Takarada asked mildly.

_Damn it! I didn’t mean to let that slip._ “Yes.”

“Hmm. I see.” Turning around, Dr. Takarada grabbed the stack of dog cones he came for and headed back out, throwing a warning over his shoulder as he left: “I’ll learn about her eventually. Just make sure to pay for the bowl, and don’t forget it for your date!”

The retort died in Ren’s throat as his boss got further away. He grimaced, worried about what Dr. Takarada would do with the knowledge that Ren had a woman in his life. Placing the bowl among his belongings, Ren headed back to the patient rooms and his job, uncertainty gnawing at his mind as he did so.

* * *

A few hours later, Ren was still distracted wondering what Dr. Takarada would plan, he loved teasing his staff about their love lives. Trying to forget that and focus on handling the excitable lab he was leading back to the waiting room, he almost missed the conversation of the young women sitting there.

“Isn’t he handsome?” a woman in blue asked as she leaned over her cat’s crate to show her phone to the woman next to her.

“He’s _such_ a troublemaker,” the woman in green replied.

“Look at this one!”

“HA! I love that one! ‘Whatever’,” The one in green stated as she copied the movement in the picture, her arms to the side in an exaggerated American shrug.

Ren froze, his body seizing in panic as he realized the women were flipping through pictures of _him_. Kuon Hizuri in all his childhood glory, posing and smirking at the camera, tight green tunic pulling slightly as he leaned against a tree.

Distantly Ren heard someone calling his name, but it was drowned out by the rushing in his ears and the ice-cold panic seeping up through his veins. He blinked a few times before registering his co-worker Yukihito Yashiro talking to him. _How long had he been there?_

“…You. I can cover everything here.”

“Sorry? I missed that,” Ren said, shaking his head.

“Takarada-sensei wanted to see you. I can cover everything here,” Yashiro repeated, taking the dog leash from his hands.

“Okay, thanks.” Still numb from his panic attack, Ren walked towards Dr. Takarada’s office in a haze.

“Ren, a client needs a home visit. Nothing too serious but they can’t make it here today, so, I am sending you. If it’s really bad, bring them back here, but if not, do what you need to and then take the rest of the day off.”

“Boss, I don’t need—”

“Ren, you work too much. You need a break.” Lory interrupted him with a sigh. “Take the day off to relax and have fun. Spend time with your young lady or get ready for your date.”

“… It’s not a date.”

“Ah, but there is a young lady!” Dr. Takarada cheered, eyes twinkling.

Exasperated but no longer panicked, Ren responded, “I’m just helping her with her garden.”

“Well, let me know how that goes. Here are the details for the patient,” Lory replied, handing over a file.

“A cat café?”

“Yes, one of their cats has been acting strangely and they want to make sure it’s not sick before letting it interact with the customers and other cats.”

“I’ll let you know what I find.”

“Sounds good. Oh, and I mean it, Ren. Take a break after this call. I need you at your best, and I won’t have that if you are constantly on edge and burn yourself out.”

Ren nodded in acknowledgment before grabbing his things and supplies and heading out on the call.

### Author Notes

It’s KyokoRen Week again! I was so excited to try writing with the lovely people I’ve met in the Skip Beat Discord this year.

Many thanks to my fellow writers for the smiles and laughs they’ve given me as we worked on this story. I hope you enjoy the chapter!

~[nnjvz](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nnjvz/pseuds/nnjvz)


	3. Hide

## 3\. Hide

[Aikori_Ichijouji](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aikori_Ichijouji/pseuds/Aikori_Ichijouji) [[FFN](https://www.fanfiction.net/u/228617)]

Ren wondered if he was given an incorrect address. He warily eyed the colorful vinyl decals in shades of pink, yellow, and orange on the window beside the entrance and the artfully hand-written sandwich board. Something was amiss here.

White, wooden French doors seemed an odd choice for a cat café. Most of the ones he recalled passing on his infrequent wanderings through the city opted for the classic storefront metal and glass sliding door that opened with the press of a button. He tried not to think too hard on it and entered.

A chime of tinkling bells hinted at a melody that sounded both unrecognizable and irritatingly familiar accompanied his entry. He tried not to let the relief upon seeing a small reception table and two chairs in a vestibule with a second door beyond them show on his face. At least they had a segregated entryway to prevent any would-be escapees of the four-legged persuasion.

The petite, pink painted chair he sat on by the door was dwarfed by his admittedly large frame. He waited with furrowed brows, staring at the bag of supplies he placed by his feet on the floor. A door opened and he looked up, introductions and questions ready on his lips. All of them tumbled to the floor in a useless pile at his feet upon taking in the spectacle—for lack of a better term—before him.

The silver wig and frilly grey and white dress with multitudes of lace around the collar, cuffs, and hem were one thing. The fuzzy grey cat ears pinned neatly behind the bow accented and beribboned headband, matching paw-shaped mittens and tail were quite another. So, too were the whiskers drawn on her cheeks.

He absolutely _had_ to be in the wrong place.

“Welcome to LoveMe, LoveMoe Cafe, nya!” the… Cat maid (that was really the best description he could come up with) announced in an overly cheerful tone. “Will you be spending some time with our adorable residents today, nya?”

Ren got up from his seat to approach the reception area. “I was sent here from the veterinary clinic by Dr. Takarada to look at a cat?” He asked, forcing himself to not stare too long at her ears—the fake ones. “Am I in the right place?”

“Oh, yes, the owner did say you’d be coming by today, nya!” He didn’t think her voice could pitch any higher but it did. “Follow me!”

She led him through the second door and into a large room that was, quite intentionally, a veritable cat heaven. Multiple tiered cat condominiums were set up in every corner. Scratching posts were also sprinkled throughout along with shelves of varying heights along the walls with catwalks between them. Patrons reclined on sofas and armchairs, sipping hot or cold beverages while doting on the cat nearest to them with a variety of toys.

“I’m guessing you don’t frequent places like this often, nya?” the woman chirped.

He wondered how she managed to bounce so much while also walking. “I can’t say that I’ve ever been inside a cat cafe before,” He mumbled, staring at the wall filled with a myriad of framed photos of cats; each one had a nameplate below it and he guessed they helped newcomers learn the names of the resident cats. “Or a maid cafe, for that matter.”

The maid giggled. “Most of them are either one or the other. That’s what makes us unique, nya!”

Ren could only nod in agreement, still staring at the photo wall. All of the cats had relatively human-like names, surprising considering just how many people came into the clinic with animals whose names were decidedly not human-like at all. A burly cat, colored like dried autumn leaves sat on the ledge just below the photos. According to his nameplate, he was called Taira. The fluffy peach kitten beside him batting at his tail must have been Manaka, he guessed.

He was led to a door towards the back of the cafe. He watched the silver-haired maid remove one of her paw mittens and knock twice on the door.

“Mio-nyaaaan, we have someone here to take a look at Reino, nya!” she surprised him by calling out as she knocked.

“Well, it’s certainly about time,” a voice that could have been the aural equivalent of a scowl called back. “This hell beast has had me trapped in here for the last five minutes.”

The door opened to reveal another young woman dressed similarly to her silver counterpart, only her outfit was mostly black with minimal white accents. Long, black hair hung in her face as she looked down to make a futile attempt at brushing away the stray hairs that clung to her dress.

“Absolutely unreasonable and uncouth. Had I the authority to make him disappear, I wou—” her continued rant was cut short when she looked up and her eyes met Ren’s.

Were she an actual cat, her hair would have stood on end at that moment as her entire body went rigid with fear. A pathetic squeak left her lips—not a hiss like he’d been expecting—and her mitten covered hands pawed at the door behind her in frantic, useless motions until they finally found purchase. In one swift motion, she spun back into the room and slammed the door in his face.

The woman standing beside him looked shocked for a moment before she noticed the cafe’s patrons looking in their direction and covered it up with a brilliant smile.

“Prickly Mio-nyan never does take kindly to new faces, nya.” She knocked again. “No need to hide, nya! There’s nothing to be afraid of!”

“I can’t!” the voice that once sounded so abrasive and irritated now cowered in fear.

Ren thought he heard the words “recognize me” somewhere in the frantic mumblings coming from the other side of the door. That was all his brain needed to make the connection between the reaction, the voice, and the wide golden eyes that looked up at him like helpless prey.

He leaned towards the door, placing a hand on it. “Mogami-san?” he whispered.

The answering whimper was all the confirmation he needed and all the reproach he didn’t. She’d clearly expressed her discomfort with people knowing her work and home personas when they first met and he could both appreciate and sympathize with that. Outing her like that wasn’t the wisest choice. He put her on the defensive without even meaning to.

Somehow, he had to even the score.

Ren set down his bag on the floor before taking a seat next to it, curling his legs underneath him. Giving Kyoko’s colleague the brightest smile he could muster, he shook his head in reassurance. “It’s fine, uh, I don’t believe I learned your name?”

“Katsumi-nyan,” she supplied with a paw curled up next to her face.

“Ah, thank you. As I was saying, it’s okay if Mio-chan doesn’t want to come out.” He gestured to the navy scrubs he wore. “I’m sure she realized what I am and it made her nervous. I’ll wait here until she’s ready. It’s never a good idea to force a cat to do anything against their will.”

Katsumi looked impressed for the most fleeting second before breaking into an exaggerated grin and bouncing on her toes in excitement.

“With an attitude like that, you’ll have Mio-nyan eating out of your hand in no time, nya!” she exclaimed with glee for the benefit of everyone around them before lowering her voice to quietly hiss her next command at the door. “Mou, Kyoko, open the damned door already. I can’t leave the guests unattended and Kimiko is not playing well with the other cats. _Again._ Now let the man do his job while I go separate them!”

Katsumi skipped her way back into the main area of the cafe to check on the customers. Ren sat in silence, leaning back against the wall next to the door.

“You’re making fun of me,” the sulky voice said from behind the door.

“I promise you I’m not,” he assured her, turning his head so she could hear him better while avoiding being overheard. “I recognize the importance of keeping your work life separate and I’m sorry for disrespecting that. I should have pretended I didn’t know you.”

A soft click alerted him to the door opening. He held his breath for several beats, almost expecting it to close again. When it didn’t, he stood up, grabbed his bag, and walked into the room. It was fairly small inside, consisting only of a countertop and some shelves along one wall, a couple of two-tiered kennels, some boxes, and a folding chair.

Kyoko was half sitting, half kneeling on the chair as she struggled with a very lean white cat. Her mittens were strewn across the floor and one of her ears dangled awkwardly, clinging in desperation to a scant few strands of her wig. The apron tied around her waist was crooked and twisted in on itself and he couldn’t comprehend how such disarray could look so appealing in such a setting.

“Is that—” He got right to business to avoid commenting on her appearance.

“Reino, yes. He was startled when I slammed the door,” she said, trying to keep the cat away from attacking the ear that was still sitting properly on her head. “He’s a little needy and a lot of mischief.”

“I can see that. Do you mind if I—”

He reached out towards the cat to take him from her. The cat seemed to have other plans and twisted in her arms while yowling loudly in protest. Ren immediately backed away and waited for the cat to calm down.

“Sorry, he’s a bit of a handful and he’s very picky about who he lets get close to him.” Her voice was strained as she finally managed to curl the cat’s legs inward and cradle him in her arms.

“I take it you’re one of those people.”

“Regrettably, yes,” Kyoko sighed. “He has this weird obsession with me. Follows me everywhere I go unless he gets distracted by something.”

He pulled out the file he was given to read through the information. Dislodging the portable scale from the bag was about as much of a challenge as it was putting it there in the first place but he managed to pull it free while Kyoko kept the cat distracted. Setting the scale on the ground, he switched it on and waited for the display to zero out.

“According to his file, he hasn’t been eating?”

Kyoko shook her head. “Only a nibble or two here and there at feeding times and he usually throws it right back up afterwards. And he won’t even go near the treats.”

Ren motioned for her to place him on the scale, giving both the cat and Kyoko a wide berth; while he knew how high-strung the patient she held was, there was no accounting for her mental state at that time. The numbers rose and fell but stayed around 3 kilograms. He frowned at the file, fishing around the front pocket of his scrubs for the pen he kept in there so he could note the current weight. Reino was at least a kilo and a half lighter than the last time he’d seen a vet.

“Do you think you’d be able to hold him still long enough for me to get his temperature?”

“Maybe if I sit on the chair and hold him in my lap?” Kyoko suggested.

“Only if you’re comfortable holding a cat about to get a thermometer up the rear.”

She appeared to consider his words for a moment. “I think I’ll just put him on the counter and hold him still.”

“Whatever works better for you.”

Kyoko held the cat’s head and its gaze with her own, bracing Reino’s shoulder with her other hand and gave a slight nod to proceed. Practice with finicky cats had afforded him the experience and skill to be able to quickly lift the cat’s tail and insert the lubricated thermometer. The deed was done relatively quickly and with only a moderate amount of squirming on Reino’s part.

He took the opportunity to feel around the cat’s throat and abdomen for any abnormalities and listen to his heart and breathing. When his fingers brushed past where hers were locked around Reino’s shoulders, he almost wanted to ignore her sharp intake of breath for fear of his imagination taking off on flights of fancy as to what it could mean.

“Well, he doesn’t have a fever,” he concluded, putting the scale and thermometer back in their proper places in the bag. “And he seems to be fairly normal other than not eating.”

Reino was released and he sniffed around the room, taking in every scent while orbiting Kyoko’s legs. Ren had suggested letting him roam free for a bit just to get a look at his overall temperament. If he was feeling poorly, he’d have difficulty moving or refuse to move at all. He hadn’t noticed anything concerning, at least with regards to the cat.

Kyoko’s sudden onset inability to meet his eyes concerned him more than anything his supposed patient did. She shifted uneasily whenever there was less than an arm’s distance between each other.

He warred with the frown that wanted to mar his face because the self-defeating chanting in the back of his mind that she disliked him refused to shut up.

“I’m guessing he licked or ate something that didn’t agree with him and it may have upset his stomach a bit,” he explained to fill the air with something other than tension. “I’ll phone the office when I report back and ask if they’ll write you a prescription for some anti-nausea medication. That’ll at least help him keep the food down when he does feel like eating.”

“Thank you,” Kyoko sighed. “And… I’m sorry too.”

He looked up from where he knelt with his bag on the ground. “What for?”

She placed Reino in one of the kennels that had some blankets, a litter pan and a small food bowl inside and picked up her mittens before answering. “I didn’t mean to make a scene like that.” She twisted the mittens in her hand while staring at the ground. “You were just here to do your job. It was uncalled for.”

The look of self-admonition on her face caused an ache in his heart. He wished there was something he could do to make it go away. “We were both taken by surprise today,” he assured her. “It’s fine. I’m sorry; you’re sorry. I think we can call it even, don’t you?”

Kyoko just shrugged. “I guess.”

Those few seconds gave him the time he needed for his brain to catch up and remember the one thing he was fairly certain would lift her spirits. He dug back into the bag again and pulled out the bowl he’d taken from the clinic earlier.

“Besides, now I get to surprise you sooner with this.”

He held it up for her to see and she gasped, a smile finally making its way across her lips. “It’s perfect!”

“I thought so too,” Ren nodded, blatantly ignoring the tightness in his chest at the sight of her smile. “I don’t know what your schedule is like but this was my last appointment for the day. If you’re free, we can try setting it up this evening.”

The fact that she was still at work must have escaped her at some point between her worrying and when he showed her the bowl because she instantly became hyper-aware of that fact. Her eyes went wide and patted at her hair, noticing the ear that went rogue and pulled it free. She retied the apron, adjusted the headband before clipping the ear into place and pulled on the mittens.

“Ugh. I can’t spend the rest of my shift in here and in shambles like this,” she scolded herself while brushing her paws against her dress to flatten it down. “Mio-chan may be aloof, but she’s not completely antisocial and I think I’ve broken enough rules today as it is.”

“Rules?”

“Yeah, I broke character and I revealed myself to a patron,” she explained, pulling a particularly noticeable clump of Reino’s fur from her collar. “Well, I guess you’re technically not a patron so maybe I didn’t fully break that one.”

“So this Mio is… A role?” The word, and all the inherent unpleasantness that came with it, felt like sand falling off his tongue.

“Yep, it goes with the cosplay.” She tilted her chin towards the door. “As you may have noticed Katsumi-chan is the high energy one, so it’s up to me to balance things out as it were.”

“By being grumpy?” He ventured.

She laughed. “Not exactly. Mio-nyan is very resentful and aggressive, but she’s also quite proper about it. Kind of like a cat that hisses and bares its teeth in between meticulously grooming itself.”

He pondered that for a moment, nodding mostly to himself as he chose his next words with care. “Then I suppose I should tell you that your ear is crooked.”

“What?!” A paw-hand flew to her head with surprising speed, but it only succeeded in bumping the ear further out of place.

Ren stood up, hands outstretched and ready to help before he stopped himself. They definitely didn’t know each other well enough for him to just start casually touching her. Especially not after her reaction earlier when their contact was purely accidental.

“May I?” He pointed a timid finger at her head.

She hesitated before she finally nodded and he bent forward. Having seen her attach the ear once already, he knew how it clipped onto the hair and he gently removed it. He shifted it over and back just a little bit and paused to bend down further so that he had a better view of how that ear lined up with the other one. Once he was satisfied that it was perfectly even, he clipped it into place.

“There,” he breathed, admiring his work up close.

She looked up at him, most likely ready to offer her thanks when a flush of red washed over her face. It was only then that he realized exactly how close they were. He couldn’t know for certain, but he would wager a tidy sum that his face was a similar color to hers. Their eyes were locked onto each other with an intensity that burned him from head to toe. All he could smell was mint and fruit and the concept of moving was suddenly quite impossible. He gulped.

Kyoko was the first to break free from whatever enchantment held them there and took two steps back. One mittened hand touched the ear he’d repositioned and she gave him a wobbly smile.

“Thanks. I’ll text you when I’m off work for the day.”

“Huh?” Ren was still a bit dazed. “Oh! Sure, that’s fine.”

“Okay, I’m going to get back to our guests.” She sidled her way over to the door. “I’ll see you later.”

“Right. Later.”

The words were mostly the result of him leaving his mouth on autopilot while his brain performed a hard reset. If Kyoko noticed, she made no indication. She just gave him a small wave before leaving the room, her cheeks still dusted in a pretty pink. He gulped again.

What had he gotten himself into?

### Author Notes

Now just imagine the colossal restraint I needed to not put Ren in one of those costumes and you have the approximate amount of struggle I encountered for this chapter.

~[Aikori_Ichijouji](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aikori_Ichijouji/pseuds/Aikori_Ichijouji)


	4. Family

## 4\. Family

[Persephone Kyoko](https://archiveofourown.org/users/persephonekyoko/pseuds/persephonekyoko) [[FFN](https://www.fanfiction.net/u/12571236)]

Ren had planned to head back to work; he needed the hours. Actually, he needed the pay that the hours provided. An apartment in Tokyo was expensive, especially since he was determined to live without a roommate. Yukihito was the only one he’d felt comfortable enough to ask, but when he popped the question over steaming black coffee it turned out he was already committed to a year-long lease with his school buddy Kijima Hidehito.

“But maybe when our lease is up we can all go in for a three-man,” Yukihito offered.

Ren smiled, hiding his unease behind a wide grin. “Is he the guy that you carpool with?”

Yukihito nodded, sipping his coffee. Ren’s grin grew brighter, a desperate mask for the anxiety within. Every time he’d met Kijima, he met a hurricane of sound. It was like a verbal reel of news headlines, but all from the tabloids and all intensely personal.

“I don’t think we’ve got the best dynamic,” Ren had said, throwing his empty cup into the bin behind the front counter. “Thanks though.”

Yukihito had merely raised his eyebrows, shrugging grandly. Ren blinked at the gesture.

Yukihito shrugged again. “Like the meme—you saw that meme, the _derp_ one with the Peter Pan boy. Everyone’s seen it. He actually looks a lot like…” Yukihito had trailed off, his eyes going wide. Ren hadn’t been able to answer, his vocal cords paralyzed by the yawning possibility that Yukihito had recognized him as the Pan actor. Everything would fall apart. His job, his meager collection of work acquaintances, everything squeezing back down to a failed grown-up version of a child actor on his couch at home alone with his memes.

Behind the pair, Dr. Takarada coughed. He jerked his head toward a stack of intake paperwork with raised eyebrows. Yukihito and Ren dispersed quickly to their work, the “Peter Pan boy” discussion left untouched. For now.

Ren felt a similar unease inside himself after the short visit to the _LoveMe, LoveMoe Cafe_. Pieces of his armor were slowly being dismantled by her and she wasn’t even trying. If he kept up like this, he really would throw away all his efforts at normalcy and follow Dr. Lee’s suggestion of asking her to call him “Hizuri-san”. If he was going to let anyone know the real him, he thought with a smile, it would be her.

“Except I can’t,” he said to himself as he flung open the gate to the community garden. “Already burnt that bridge, _Tsuruga-san_.” He kicked his shoes off haphazardly, finding pleasure in the small act of rebellion. The black trainers, perfect for the sometimes slick floors of the vet’s office, knocked against the stem of one of his tomato plants, bending it. Ren knelt in a rush, gently grabbing the stem and holding it upright. It bent back as soon as he let go, keeling into the plant beside it.

“Oh,” he breathed. “Oh no.” He stood and rushed to the supply shed, his feet slapping loudly on the pavement. The lock foiled him for a moment, his hands trembling enough that he missed the second number on its combination, but soon enough he was in and rifling through the donation box just inside the door. Plot owners left bits and bobs and partially used supplies for others to use on their gardens. There had to be something—there! A popsicle stick, the type the fierce-looking owner of the plot two down from his used to label his plants. He couldn’t find any twine, though. He stood, scrubbing his hand through his hair as he hurried back to his plot.

His large hands held the broken stem tenderly but awkwardly, the young plant still small beneath his fingers. The popsicle stick would be the perfect splint; how to affix it remained an issue. Ren bit his lip.

“Hey. You know where the dirt for the cat café is?”

Ren spun, dropping the stick into the weedless soil of his plot. The speaker’s tone was low and bored, like he was annoyed to be using words. He was every bit the Akihabara style icon: spiked bleach-blonde hair, heavy eye makeup, pale skin and leather on leather on leather. The sleek black cat yowling from the crook of his arm jarred with the aesthetic of his carefully crafted image until Ren noticed the matching outfit. It wore a tiny leather vest with silver chains as delicate as any necklace at a jeweler’s shop.

Ren glanced at Kyoko’s plot, unsure whether she would want him to give away its location after her intense reaction when he found out the link between her, it, and the cat café. Then again, the way this guy was calmly stroking the visual kei cat’s front paws confirmed he was likely a frequent patron.

Owner and cat matched glares at Ren over his extended pause.

Ren’s eyes widened in sudden recognition of the grumpy-looking feline.

“Isn’t that one of their cats?” he asked.

The stranger cocked his head, looking at Ren intently. A slow smile spread across his lips. “He’s their top earner,” he said, smirking at his cat. “But no, not theirs. Koga’s my beastie; he’s just on loan until Reino gets his shit figured out. Isn’t that right, puddums?”

Ren’s eyebrows flew up to meet his hairline at the clashing visual. Piercings, spikes, leather— and baby talk. “Why do you need their garden?” he asked cautiously.

The stranger shrugged, the chains dripping from his shoulders clinking together. The cat snuggled tighter into his side with the movement. He held out the dog bowl Ren gave Kyoko earlier.

Ren’s eyebrows raised as his heart fell. He’d hoped to see her tonight, hoped giving her the dog bowl earlier had guaranteed a meeting when she came to install it. Hoped the way his heart raced standing close to her was mirrored in hers—and hoped that moment had left a stronger impression than his slip when he’d recognized her. Seeing the bowl in someone else’s hand—especially when that hand acted more ready to chuck it in the bin than carefully tend to a fairy’s garden—knocked the nascent optimism right out of him.

Ren stood, nodding wordlessly at the stranger and leading the way to Kyoko’s plot. Clinks and heavy booted footsteps echoed behind as the stranger and his cat followed Ren slowly.

“Can you believe this cheap junk is for _fairies_?” he said to his cat, drawing out the word fairies to twice its normal length.

Ren chewed on the side of his tongue, not sure if he was willing to defend the legitimacy of Kyoko’s fantasies and yet viscerally against any form of comradery with the insolent stranger. He chose silence as the perfect compromise and knelt in front of Kyoko’s garden, searching for a place in the lush growth to put the dog bowl-turned-fairy pond.

The heavy boots thudded to a stop behind him. He could feel the other man’s body heat as he knelt next to Ren, shifting the cat to perch across his knees. The dog bowl clanged to the ground beside Ren, tossed negligently to land half on and half off the plot.

“This is amazing,” he said, the words infused with sarcasm. He elbowed Ren. “Chicks are crazy, amiright?”

Ren turned his head toward him, one eyebrow raised.

“Oh come on,” the stranger leered, rocking back on the heavy heels of his boots. Koga yowled at the disturbance of his perch, earning a gentle coo and scratch behind the ears. “Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed what Kyoko is up to.” The cat batted at the closest lavender plant, severed petals fluttering to the ground.

“You are friends with Mogami-san?” Ren asked, struggling to keep his tone even. He tucked the bowl in between the mint and the lavender, careful to not disturb any of the delicate flowers.

“That’s rich,” the man drawled, flicking the same flower Koga had, completely beheading it this time. “Nyah-nyah, Kyoko as a ‘young miss’.”

Ren frowned.

The stranger didn’t notice or care. A sneer flirted with turning the corners of his lips up, but apparently, even those were too lazy and the expression lapsed back into boredom.

Ren bristled. “Who are you?” he asked.

The other man looked at him, his eyes scanning Ren’s figure. He smirked, making Ren suddenly aware of his resemblance to a mental hospital escapee: shoeless, wearing blue scrubs covered in cat hair, with dirt under his fingernails and disheveled hair.

“Sho Fuwa,” he said, his first and last name dropped out like candy from a prize machine. “Koga and I live with your ‘Mogami-san’.”

Ren swallowed, keeping his face blank with great effort.

Sho grinned, swaying slightly as he stood, arms wrapped protectively around Koga. He watched Ren closely as he resituated the tiny leather vest to sit straight across his cat’s back.

Ren looked away, focusing on arranging a pile of small stones he’d found near the base of the lavender around the rim of the bowl. He could suggest transplanting some of the bluebells to further disguise it. _Let the fairies bathe in peace_ , he thought, crafting the perfect line of explanation and brushing away the voice inside taunting him that maybe Sho was right in the mental patient diagnosis.

He stood and brushed his hands on his scrubs, intensely aware of Sho and Koga’s scrutiny as he wiped away dirt and some of Reino’s fur.

“That should do,” Ren said, padding toward the supply shed.

Sho looked down at the garden, then up at him. “Holy shit,” he said. “This is even better than I thought. You’re in on it.”

Ren ignored him, grabbing a watering can and filling it with water from the spigot. When he turned, Sho had followed him into the shed, a look of glee on his face so sharp with ridicule Ren almost dumped the entire watering can over his head instead of the dog bowl. Only the presence of the cat held him back.

A sudden bang from outside pulled both men’s heads around to meet the rush of lace and fluff that was Kyoko Mogami. Sho stepped in front of Ren, grinning broadly and blocking the doorway.

“Shotaro!” she yelled, her voice tinted with relief. She spun on her heel in wide-eyed search for her plot. “It’s here—you really did—that’s—that’s actually a nice spot for it.” Her words rang with a clear tone of disbelief.

Sho sauntered over to stand close to her, his cat tucked under his arm again.

“Said I would, didn’t I, Kogs?” He scratched his cat under the chin. “Waste of time though, because you’re too stupid to not come yourself.”

“I got done early—how was I supposed to know I’d have time before my night shift? And really…” Kyoko knelt in front of the plot, lacy skirts bunching around her knees. “… I wasn’t expecting you to actually find a place for it.”

“You think I did that?” Sho scoffed. “It was the weird guy in hospital scrubs.”

Kyoko stiffened, standing slowly. She looked like a marionette doll as she spun gingerly on her heels to look in the direction Sho nodded. Ren cleared his throat, stepping out of the shed into the waning light of evening. He waved sheepishly, a bashful smile on his face.

“Tsuruga-san,” Kyoko said quietly. “I thought you were going back to the clinic.”

Ren shrugged, running his hand through his hair to try and comb it back down and buy time to compose an answer. Sho’s eyes widened; a slanted grin spread across his face. “I wanted to check on my plot before we met tonight, so I came early,” Ren said, sparing a glance for Sho.

“Oh,” Kyoko said, her face falling. “I can’t. I was going to text—I have to work the night shift; Kana-san called out sick again.” She looked down at her cosplay uniform, blushing brightly. “I’m not even supposed to be here right now, but the barista ran out of mint.”

“Nyah-nyah,” Sho mocked, his fingers curled. Kyoko smacked him. He danced away, still mimicking Katsumi. Koga joined in, his loud meows of protest at the jostling mingling with his owner’s noise. “Pick you up at one, idiot,” he called, walking backwards and tromping over the corner of Ren’s plot as he did. “Have fun with your _fairy_.”

The last word spilled out of his mouth with an exaggerated shrug and a wicked smile aimed at Ren.

Ren felt his body go cold and swallowed hard against the rising tide of nausea. _He doesn’t know, he doesn’t know,_ he repeated to himself. Just because his last role had been Peter Pan and half the memes flying around Squawker made full use of the fairy boy innuendo—it meant nothing. Ren turned to leave, rubbing clammy palms over his thighs.

Her voice held him back.

“I’m sorry,” Kyoko said, shaking her head at Sho’s disappearing form, a cat tail curling around the breadth of his back. “He’s an idiot.” She turned to look at Ren, her brows knitted. “But he’s all the family I have.” She raised her palms as if asking for clemency.

Ren rubbed his hand across his mouth. “He’s your brother,” he said, trying to decide if this was good news or not.

Kyoko laughed. “No,” she said. “Though he’s as annoying as one.”

Ren felt his chest tighten again.

“He’s—” Kyoko paused, kneeling in front of her garden and twirling the stems of two weeds around each other as she searched for words. “When I first came to Tokyo, I was running. From…” She waved her hand in the air, letting the weeds spin apart. “A lot of things. Mostly my mother. I had no place to stay.”

“You don’t have to explain—” Ren started, but Kyoko’s smile stopped his words.

“We used to go to school together, and met again when I got the job at _LoveMe_. His cat is pretty famous there, and Sho comes to pick him up from work every day. He said I could stay with them. It’s an apartment above a restaurant, not much, but still expensive because, you know: Tokyo.” She stood, smoothing down her skirts again, her hands moving too quickly for it to look natural. She seemed nervous, but maybe Ren was just pushing his own emotions onto her. “So I help out with all the housework and cooking for us to help cover my part, and pull some shifts downstairs for the owners when my paycheck still isn’t enough.”

“Is he why you didn’t want me to drive you home?” he blurted, instantly recoiling from the possessiveness in his own words.

“No,” Kyoko said, her eyes averted. She looked up at Ren from under her lashes, biting her lip. “I have to go now,” she said.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have pried,” he said, rushing to fix his hasty words. “Maybe…” Ren hesitated, but he had to do something to chase away the image of that leather-clad asshole picking her up after work. “I heard fairies are active at night, maybe we can meet here when you’re done?”

“But that’s—the middle of the night!”

Ren wiped his hands on his pants again, nodding. “I don’t need much sleep.”

“I don’t know when I’ll be off. It’s not the best night, another night, maybe,” she said. She worried at her lower lip with her teeth then startled him with a quick bow. “Thank you for your help, Tsuruga-san!”

And with a whirl of lace and satin, she was gone.

### Author Notes

I do solemnly swear I am up to no good.

~[Persephone Kyoko](https://archiveofourown.org/users/persephonekyoko/pseuds/persephonekyoko)


	5. Hands

## 5\. Hands

[The_Beer_Guy_95](https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Beer_Guy_95/pseuds/The_Beer_Guy_95) [[FFN](https://www.fanfiction.net/u/7774840)]

The next day he dealt with his daily morning pre-work routine, sipping his coffee and ignoring the burnt taste of a failed egg and toast. He turned his television off after another showbiz news segment plugged a _“Hizuri Meme Update”_. It hadn’t died down after weeks of trending.

Sighing, he took his coat and left his apartment. A short drive later, Ren greeted his colleagues and headed to the staff room to take a breather before clients arrived.

“Tsuruga-san,” Yashiro called, stepping in shortly after. “These are for today’s scheduled appointments.” He handed him a clipboard with information about the anticipated patients.

Ren flipped through the paperwork, nodding as he recognized the different animals scheduled for the day. Today shouldn’t be too difficult with a client list like this. If he trusted his luck, today would be a breeze. Then he could enjoy his evening with Kyoko in the garden.

“Momose-san and Yuuki?” Ren called as he stepped into the waiting room. A lady with light blonde hair stepped forward holding a cute rattan crate, following him into one of the examination rooms. She looked distraught. Ren chuckled; he saw a lot of pet parents with panicked looks on their faces. The lady pulled out a cute tuxedo cat and gently placed her on the table.

“It’s going to be okay, Yuuki. Right, sensei?” Momose asked with a shaky voice. She stared at Ren with wide eyes, teary eyes. “She’s been favoring her left side for the past few days. I think she got hurt but I don’t know how.”

“I’ll take a look at her.” Ren chuckled. “You don’t need to worry; I promise we’ll get her fixed up and running again in no time.”

Momose nodded and smiled, waving to her cat before retreating to the waiting room. “Thank you, Tsuruga-sensei!” she called over her shoulder.

“Now, Yuuki, let’s see what seems to be your problem.” He gently handled the cat and went through the motions of a generic check-up until Dr. Takarada bounced in the room. Momose was right; Yuuki hissed if he even thought about touching her left side.

Dr. Takarada approached the examination table and confirmed the obvious answer: Yuuki had injured her left hind paw. “Can you take an X-ray?” Dr. Takarada asked.

Ren agreed and immediately brought the cat to the radiology room. An hour and a few clients later, the tests came back. Ren called for Momose, explaining her cat’s injury and necessary treatment. She thanked Ren and Dr. Takarada, leaving with Yuuki fixed-up in a cast at the tail-end of Ren’s shift.

It was finally his favorite time of day: time to head out to the garden.

He went straight to his plot and nodded in approval with all the improvements of his plants. Looking around and seeing no one, he took off his shoes and indulged himself in gardening barefooted. Knees on dirt he examined the plot for weeds.

His eyes twitched when they landed on the poor tomato plant, bent at an unnatural angle. His makeshift brace had given way. Perhaps if he tried again, it would survive.

Hastily, he scrambled to find something stronger than the popsicle stick he propped against the stem. He rushed to the tool shed, only to stumble into Kyoko in his hurry. She looked surprised as they crashed together. She looked down and his toes curled into the pavement. Ren immediately regretted taking his shoes off.. The silence between them was unbearable.

Her brows furrowed. “Oh…”

“I… Uh…” Ren started to stammer at the same time.

“Do you do this often?” she asked. She looked back up to meet his eyes, too quick for him to manage a neutral experience. Instead, she looked up in time to see him blush. She bit her lip and rolled it between her teeth. “I’m sorry…”

“I… I do this when no one is around.” Ren tried to will his embarrassment down. It was no use. So, he decided to opt for a new tactic: diversion. “How are the flowers going?” It was a stupid question, but if he played his cards right…

“Well, they’re doing fine. Thank you for helping me get everything into place.” She smiled. “Also—about the dog bowl?”

“No… It’s fine… Don’t worry about it.” He brushed her off, knowing he could pay for it. “How has Reino been doing?”

“He’s doing fine, thank you. He’s eating now, though he’s become annoyingly picky since starting the meds. He’s decided homemade meals are his favorite.”

Ren chuckled; she spoke of Reino as if he were a human. “Maybe he’s a royal cat from the fairy kingdom and decided to be in the human world?”

Her face lit up before quickly turning down to a frown. “Reino is far from a royal cat. As far as I’m concerned, he’s a hellcat.” She sighed.

Ren laughed; at least Kyoko let his diversion work. Now they could talk normally. “What happened to your plant, by the way?” She motioned to the fixed plant. “It’s unlike you to have any flaws in that plot.”

Ren gave an awkward chuckle. “I had a little mishap with the shoe.” He couldn’t lie but Kyoko spared him from more embarrassment after she witnessed his barefooted caveman state.

“Would you like some help?” she asked, her eyes glued to the broken tomato stem as they approached his plot. She turned back to Ren and gave him a sheepish smile. “You helped me a lot. It’s only fair.”

“I finished already weeding earlier and I only have watering left.” He sighed. “I don’t know what to do with my poor tomato, though.”

“I think I have just the thing for that!” Kyoko smiled and went to work, pulling out a tiny multi-tool and kneeling beside his plot. She made quick work and sawed a few stems from the top of Ren’s tomato plant. After retrieving both a thin Y-shaped and straight-edged stem, her hands went to tend the crooked wound on the plant. She used the Y-shaped stem as support and the straight-edged twig as a brace. The work was secured with twine from the supplies pouch she wore at her waist.

Ren was surprised at her preparedness. He watched her work in amazement. When she finished, it was obvious that she was unbelievably crafty. His pitiful tomato plant finally looked like it had a good chance of recovery. “You got some magic hands. Do you carry a multi-tool everywhere?” he asked.

“You never know when there’s going to be an emergency! Always be prepared.” She frowned. “I thought I’d have more time to go hiking when I moved away from Kyoto, but between my work schedule and my commute, it’s difficult to find time. Not like what you see on TV.” She sighed. “Oh well. It’s Tokyo. The garden worked out perfectly in the end.” She smiled. “Thank you again for the bowl.”

“And again, you are welcome.” He nodded, trying to hide a smile. “Glad I could help make your fairy paradise here.”

“I see your veggies are getting ready to sprout, too.”

“They look like it, huh? With all my TLC and keeping those weeds away, I’d say I’m doing A-okay.” He hummed, looking over his plot.

She didn’t ask any more questions, and instead, they sat together in the garden in comfortable silence until it was time to go home.

* * *

Two days later, Ren sat at a table in the clinic staff room on his break, browsing Fairypedia. It was a detailed web encyclopedia of mythical creatures big, small, ugly, or sparkling. Ren decided he needed to look up those little things so he could make a good conversation with Kyoko about the fairies she dreamed about attracting to her garden. He wanted to impress her in the mythical creature department.

“Ren.” Dr. Takarada came in, interrupting his reading. “I need you to run a follow-up on the cat at the cat café after lunch. Reino, I think?” He spoke in a sing-song tone and with a hint of a playful smile on his face. “And I’ve been meaning to ask! How was your date?” he teased.

Ren almost fell from his seat. He shifted nervously, refusing to look at his boss. “What date?”

“Uh huh…” Dr. Takarada raised an eyebrow and smirked. “I’ll get to the bottom of this sooner or later, you know.” Ren didn’t argue. Dr, Takarada was right; he always found out what he wanted.

After lunch, Ren set off and went back to the _LoveMe, LoveMoe_ Café. There were a lot of customers present; most of them were giggling women.

Ren ignored most of the stares he felt follow him. However, there was a familiar shiver that crawled up his back, and when he turned, he found Kijima Hidehito, smiling at him. Kijima topped it with a wink. _What is he doing here? How does he even know about this place?_ Ren snapped his head away and marched to the backroom, clutching his bag tighter. _Takarada must have said something to Yashiro. And Kijima takes to gossip like a moth to a flame._

Ren chuckled, finding Kyoko in her black maid uniform feeding the cat by hand when he entered the backroom. “I take it the royal pain only eats when you’re around?”

Kyoko sighed in answer.

“I take it the prescription has worked well?” he asked.

She shook her head with a frown. “He still pukes sometimes,” she explained. “It’s not as bad as before, but at least he’s eating now.”

He nodded, watching Reino as he finished eating. They stood in silence and waited to see if he puked. Nothing. “Can you hold him again?” he asked as he set his bag down and took out his thermometer and scale.

Reino hissed at him but after Ren glared at it, the cat seemed to shrink and shiver.

Ren checked his temperature and weight, smiling as he finished. “There’s no more weight loss or any sign of a fever, which would have been a concern. All things considered, he’s doing all right.” He set to work on putting his supplies away. “It’s possible his vomiting is induced by strong scents. I suggest giving him mild-scented food and seeing how that fares with the meds.”

Ren gave Reino a pat as he prepared to leave. For such a stubborn cat, the appointment was straightforward.

“Thank you Tsuruga-san.”

He smiled. “No problem.”

As they walked out of the staff room, Kyoko fell into her character. Ren was amazed at how talented she was to adapt her persona so quickly.

_If she was an actress, I would have loved to work with her._ Ren snapped to his senses after Kijima called out to him. He grew nervous; Kijima had been pointing to Kyoko and giving Ren thumbs-up as if he approved of the match.

Kyoko giggled behind her hand before swooping into action. “Tsuruga-san, why don’t I escort you out?” she said with a curious look to Kijima.

“Thank you.” Ren breathed, relief filling his chest as he followed her. But they didn’t make it far before the doors burst open in front of them.

“Where is my smoochie poo?” Sho barged in the café with a pet bag slung over his shoulder. “Kogs, my baby boy!” he called, prompting his four-legged baby to barrage the room with a string of loud meows as he rushed to his human. The girl playing with him pouted as Koga squirmed from her grasp and rushed to his owner.

Sho smothered the cat with kisses as he lifted Koga from the ground. “Pfft,” he spat, trying to pry fur from his lips. “Furballs.” Shaking his head, he continued to praise his cat, who meowed in reply. “Did you miss papa?” he cooed.

Ren shook his head and chuckled. _I was jealous of him?_ He shook his amusement off and refocused on the task at hand: leaving. Work wasn’t going to wait up for him. He turned back to Kyoko and smiled pleasantly. “Well, I’ll take my leave. Mio-san, take care of Reino, all right?” He waved her goodbye. She waved as well. It took all of his willpower to not reach out and take her hand, or kiss it, or something more familiar than the exchange between Sho and his cat.

On his way to his car, Ren cursed to himself. Should he have taken the chance, or would she have shied away from his advance? Should he really be thinking about this exchange so much? But he couldn’t help it—she was perfect. He wanted to be perfect for her.

Acting used to be his whole life and watching her fall into character so easily tickled his soft spot. It was the first time for years that he felt anything positive about acting. But somewhere deep inside him, he knew in a different world Kyoko would be his ideal co-star. Maybe in an alternate universe, he never fell out of love with acting. Would he have still met Kyoko? He hoped so.

“I hope she won’t think bad of me if we see each other later in the garden,” he said with a sigh, slamming his head against his steering wheel.

When he returned to the clinic, he was greeted by a smiling Yukihito. “Tsuruga-san, Momose-san and Yuuki are back for a follow-up and a cast change.”

Ren smiled, instructing his friend to bring their client into the examination room. _I’ll talk to you about the Kijima incident later._

When he entered the room to check in after Dr. Takarada finished replacing Yuuki’s cast, Ren was surprised to find Momose waiting with a bouquet of flowers in one hand and a rattan kitty crate in the other.

“This is for you, Sensei,” she said as she handed Takarada the flowers. It was beautifully arranged with several colors and varieties.

Takarada held a hand out. “That’s incredibly kind, but I have a bit of a brown thumb when it comes to plants. That’s more of Ren’s specialty.”

She turned to Ren and offered it to him.

“You shouldn’t have!” he said, suddenly finding himself with a face full of flora. “This might have cost a fortune, and I’m only a tech!”

“It is fine.” Momose-san smiled. “This is from my garden. Yuuki and I travel a lot—you could call her my adventure bestie. We search for inspiration and ideas for my books. And, as a souvenir, we bring home some seeds or seedlings for our garden.”

Ren was amazed to learn the woman was a writer, even more so as she pulled a well-worn copy of a popular cat adventure novel and handed it over. Not only was Momose a writer; she was famous!

“If you don’t mind,” Ren said, bringing himself out of his thoughts. “Do you still happen to have any seeds from your travels? A friend of mine would love to have these in her garden.”

“Of course!” Momose nodded with a chuckle. “I’ll bring them to Yuuki’s next visit.” She gave her cat a gentle rub under the chin, coaxing her back into the cat crate. Yuuki’s purring filled the examination room and Ren smiled.

“Thank you so much,” he said. “I’ll see you then. Take care, Momose-san. Yuuki.” He waved to the cat and managed to keep his smile until Takarada escorted them from the room.

He collapsed against the exam table as the door closed, stifling an uncharacteristic laugh. Momose hadn’t even left, and he was already looking forward to her next visit. Kyoko was going to be beside herself when he brought her the seeds. Deep inside, he knew he was screwed. The only thing he could think about today was Kyoko and the increasingly fond feelings he harbored for her. And now he was arranging to bring her flowers.

What had his world come to?

### Author Notes

I had another chance to work with wonderful people, I hope you guys like my little work, I know it isn’t long but I made sure to stay in line and follow everyone’s lane of story.

Love you guys as always, thank you for reading <3

~[The_Beer_Guy_95](https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Beer_Guy_95/pseuds/The_Beer_Guy_95)


	6. Kiss

## 6\. Kiss

Three Authors in a Trenchcoat

She summoned him to the garden that evening. Her text read that it was time to change their tactic in regards to fairy hunting and that a stakeout was the natural answer. “Maybe it’s all the commotion during the day. The fairies would probably prefer quiet, so the manager gave me the key so we can enter after hours!”

Ren nearly asked how she managed that, but quickly answered it himself. _That look in her eyes made me agree to the entire endeavor already. Of course she could get a key._

He had plenty of time to shower and dress before heading to the garden, putting too much effort in to look casual. He put the bouquet in a vase and brought it along as well, eager to give her a preview of the seeds he’d give to her. They would be a beautiful addition to her fairy garden. Ageratums, lamb’s ears and even nasturtiums. A double boon, as they were edible and would make an attractive garnish for the cafe.

Too late did he realize what he must have looked like as he approached the garden. _A sad, lonely man trying to turn a stakeout into a date._

His tension eased slightly when he saw her, bathed in street lights at the garden’s gate, waving at him. She wore a knee-length, sky blue dress. A tan bag hung on her shoulder. The key glinted in her hand before she turned to undo the padlock. It was then he saw a small pink cardboard box and two to-go coffee cups sitting on the ground next to her.

A few clinks later she had the gate open and knelt to pick up the cups.

“Let me help, Mogami-san,” he said and knelt by her side.

“Those flowers are beautiful! Your hands are full already,” she said, smiling at the bouquet. She pointed to one of the cups. “But that one’s for you, so take it!”

“They’re a gift from someone at the clinic, but I’ll have some seeds for you, too. Consider this a preview.” He grabbed the cup and felt the warmth seep into his hand. “This is very kind, but entirely unnecessary.”

“Of course it is!” she said as she picked up the box and the other beverage. “It’s like I’m asking you to do overtime.” She turned to him, a slight flush on her face. “I’m sorry it’s nothing creative, just an Americano. We were running low on ingredients.”

 _Another bullet dodged._ He smiled and stood. “It’s hard to beat a classic. The same for you?” he asked.

She stood and shook her head. “Honeybee steamer! Milk, lavender honey, and a touch of cinnamon!” She strode over to her plot and knelt by her quarter of it. Out of her bag came a small saucer. She opened the lid of her drink and poured some in. Then, she opened the pink box and fished a fork from her bag. She cut a small corner off of the slice of strawberry shortcake and placed it in the center of the saucer. She nestled the saucer near the dog bowl and whispered, “Perfect.”

Only then did she find a seat on the concrete facing the garden bed. She looked up at him. “Don’t worry Tsuruga-san!” She pulled out a second fork and held them both aloft. “I came prepared!”

“That’s very kind,” he said as his stomach churned. He knew he needed to sit down, but it became impossible to decide exactly where to put the flowers. Next to him, as if he were hiding them? Between them, as if offering them to her?

 _Offering!_ He sat the vase on the concrete next to the edge of the garden bed.

“So, no caffeine for you?” he said, trying to deflect her watchful gaze from the flowers for a moment. He wasn’t expecting this—to eat cake with a girl that made him nervous and delighted at the same time.

Her eyes flicked to him. “No, I had too much at work. A little jittery.” They then flicked back to the bouquet. Her lips pursed.

Ren wet his lips, feeling a sudden nostalgic rush of stage fright. The flowers sat between them like a director’s clapboard, a cue for the next scene for which he’d practiced the lines endlessly on his way here and yet—he cleared his throat, gesturing lamely at the vase. “They’re um— for you,” he said.

Her pursed lips smoothed into a brilliant smile beneath amber eyes. Looking at her, he knew he’d willingly buy flowers every single day of his life to get that reaction.

“It’s nothing special, I know, but these types are actually quite popular—”

“With fairies!” Kyoko interjected, bouncing on her knees. Ren laughed, nodding as he knelt beside her. She caressed the lamb’s ear then poked the fluffy ageratum pompons. “They’re perfect. Thank you.”

Her voice sounded soft, almost sad. Ren rushed to fill the silence. “The nasturtiums too; they’re edible. Here.” He pulled off a tiny orange petal and held it out to her.

Kyoko blushed as she looked down at his extended hand. “Oh, I—”

Ren swallowed hard, realizing it looked like he was offering to hand feed her. He quickly stuffed the petal in his own mouth and chewed.

“Peppery,” he mumbled, coughing slightly.

Kyoko looked away, partially hiding her laughter with her to go cup. She peered at him over the rim, her eyes dancing in the dim light. Ren felt his stomach lurch as their gazes met.

Her eyes darted, twisting the vase to view another angle of Momose’s arrangement. Ren shifted slightly closer, taking advantage of the moment. She stilled, her finger hovering above a bright red bunch of nasturtiums.

“Where did you say you got these flowers again?” Kyoko asked. Her tone suddenly had an edge to it like a dull knife waiting to slide off the smooth skin of a tomato and mangle a finger.

Ren pulled back, fearing the bite of the blade her voice became. “A—a lady whose cat is a patient at the clinic.” The words came out in starts and stops like his brain was warning him against saying them.

Her eyes narrowed. “I take it you see her quite often, then?”

“Sometimes?”

“I see,” she sniffed, eyes decisively planted on the point furthest from him.

The beginnings of a frown (or was it a pout?) played with the corners of her lips, pulling them down. No, it had to be a frown; the intent of her mouth was already clearly telegraphed across her wrinkled brow. She shifted further away from him. Away from the flowers.

“Mogami-san, are you alright?”

It felt like such a silly thing to ask. So placating and noncommittal that he regretted the question the minute it left his mouth.

“I’m fine,” she replied in a voice that sounded the exact opposite of fine.

Perhaps it wasn’t such a silly thing to ask at all. But what was he supposed to tell her?

“I mean, it makes sense,” she continued, talking mostly to herself. “I had no basis for thinking there was anything special about our meetings. You’re just helping me because I asked you to. This isn’t—”

He would have given up any and all celebrity he earned in his youth to know how she intended to end that sentence. Alas, no such exchange was offered, so he knew only silence.

She’d shifted away from him again. Where the blooms from the vase once brushed against her arms was now a scant few centimeters of empty space as she’d curled her body to avoid touching the flowers entirely. He stared at the space, willing it to tell him what Kyoko would not.

His eyes traced a line around the flowers.

The flowers…

Of _course_!

She knew nothing about the person who gave them to him other than the fact that it was a woman and someone he knew from work. Technically, it wasn’t much to go on but it was plenty for anyone to make assumptions. Flowers aren’t just flowers. Depending on who and why they are given, flowers have _meaning_. If his hunch was correct, Kyoko had assigned a very specific meaning to these particular flowers.

“Is this—are you jealous?” He really didn’t want to ask, for fear of whatever repercussions his imagination believed would follow. But he needed to be certain.

Kyoko turned away from him, arms ridgid at her sides.

“I shouldn’t be. It doesn’t make any sense, does it?” He watched the shaking of her head and the hunch in her shoulders and heard the hurt in her voice. “We haven’t known each other long enough for that. Am I so easily swayed just because you lend me gardening equipment and respect me and my boundaries? Maybe Sho was right and I am just some silly girl with only love on her mind.”

Ren couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Every reaction, every flinch and blush and smile he’d been reading completely wrong the _entire_ time. She was jealous of him and some woman she’d never met because of a bundle of flowers. He almost laughed at the irony when he remembered his encounter with Sho.

“Maybe I’m just a silly boy, too.”

Her eyes shot to him, lancing him with their brightness even in the semi-dark of the garden. He wasn’t sure whether the pounding of his heart was from her words, or her gaze, or the fact that he was plowing headlong into a confession he thought he buried until ten seconds ago.

He could feel it rising in his throat, a lump of words pushing over the dam of his unease, walls built brick by brick with every embarrassing new meme. This was it: choke them down or let it all seep out and rush over her. He didn’t think he’d lose her for it. She did, after all, work in a cat cafe. She knew the line of public and private; a line he’d already accidentally blurred for her.

 _Not that I have anything yet to lose_ , he reminded himself as he let the words tumble out.

“A boy silly enough to make memes of,” he said quietly. He reached out and shifted the angle of the bowl of cream. An offering to fairies. “Ironically enough, fairy memes. On Squawker. That’s… me.”

He risked a glance at her.

Her face had fallen, her teeth worrying at her lower lip as she looked at her hands. Anxiety rocked up his spine, a cold dousing of nerves suddenly holding him stiff. He’d misread; it was too much. Stupid— _stupid—_ a cat cafe is a legitimate job, it’s a paycheck, it’s not being a laughingstock online. He tried to scramble for words but his tongue felt thick and heavy and wouldn’t obey.

“Oh,” she said.

“Sorry,” he said, the word forced out with a rush of air. A thousand scenarios on how to retract and play it off ran through his mind. _Tell her it was a joke. Just a way to start talking about fairies. Change the subject. Flowers—where are the—_ He reached for the flowers with a shaking hand but missed the grasp and they tumbled, spilling water and petals all over her garden.

Kyoko stood with a shout of alarm.

He sat blankly, then flew into action. “I’ll fix it—I’m sorry—we can just, here—” He was scooping petals out of the water and catching them in his shirt like a basket, padding down displaced mulch and righting the cake all at once, a flurry of too-large hands and desperation.

“Ren,” she said, her touch gentle on his shoulder. “Stop. Look.”

He froze. He slowly looked up at her from where he knelt.

“Not at me,” she said with a laugh that rang out inside him like a holiday carol. “At our garden. Just… Look. It’s beautiful.”

Ren tore his eyes away from her unwillingly, shifting to look down at the plot.

Petals littered the ground, a delicate carpet in a riot of colors. Water droplets sparkled like diamonds in the moonlight on the fairy house, the flowers, and the cake. The spilled milk ran in a small stream downhill from the bowl, flowing gently around stems and pebbles to pool beneath an exceptionally pink coneflower.

“It’s perfect,” he said.

She squeezed his shoulder, the movement reminding him her hand still rested on him. He felt himself blush. He refused to move. Not an inch, lest she remember her hand still rested on him.

“I didn’t mean to offend you,” she said quietly. “Your answer just wasn’t what I was expecting. Hoping for.”

Ren fidgeted, torn between wanting to stand and see her face and wanting to remain perfectly still.

Her laugh, somewhere between bitter and baffled, held him in place. “To think that the fairy in the garden was just you this entire time. I think, deep down, I always knew magic wasn’t real but—sometimes you need something to believe in.”."

“Technically Peter Pan wasn’t a fairy at all, you know,” he said, revealing the last part of his secret in a quiet voice. “Just a boy. A boy who never grows up. Never really learns how to accept himself. Though apparently he has a shrug so embarrassingly hilarious it took over Squawker.”

He almost wanted to laugh, again, at the irony. Kneeling here in front of her and her garden, revealing everything about himself except his heart, the part he most wanted her to know.

There was a pause, then a short gasp from Kyoko.

Ren recognized the rush of inhaled air as she connected the dots. Peter Pan. Ren Tsuruga. Kuon Hizuri. Of course she couldn’t figure it out from the paltry trail of breadcrumbs he laid out for her earlier. The hubris of assuming that she’d recognize him from a passing mention of his internet infamy nearly suffocated him. He capitulated to fate with a shrug, mimicking the fairy boy frozen in internet infamy. Except this time he was a grown man, on his knees, his face burning with embarrassment.

He waited for the explosion of mocking laughter.

Instead, he heard her gentle voice. “I understand.”

Ren stiffened at the shock of her unexpected words.

“LoveMe, LoveMoe,” she continued, her voice quiet. “It’s not… something I want everyone to know.” A quiet laugh escaped her lips, aimed at herself and not him. “As you probably guessed from the disaster of when you came to help.”

Ren let his breath out slowly, his eyes trained on her garden.

“Besides,” she said. “Peter Pan isn’t embarrassing. He could fly, and he was magical in his own way,” she said. “And the memes make people laugh, which is a magic we all need these days.”

Ren felt a heavy weight sloughing off him. “Magic,” he whispered, not daring to believe.

She sighed. “I guess I just wanted a little bit of that magic for myself.”

He did as well. “So do I.”

She knelt beside him. Her hand sought out his, a timid gesture that was oh so overwhelmingly brave. He spread his fingers wide to let hers slide between. She rested her head against his shoulder and he wished for all the world that time would stand still to preserve this moment for eternity. It was soothing and peaceful and the silence that surrounded them spoke far more than words could muster.

“I suppose I got my wish in a way,” she said finally. “I really did attract a fairy to my garden. I just didn’t know it yet.”

“I’m a far cry from that character these days,” he lamented.

“Well, unlike him, you had to grow up sometime.”

“I did.” He shook his head. “Doesn’t mean I was any good at it.”

“Are any of us? Really?”

A hollow laugh. “You’ve got me there.” He turned to look at her. “What were you hoping I’d say?”

She blushed pink enough he could see the difference clearly even in the night, her eyes wide and fixated on the fairy house. He watched her swallow, blink, then turn her head just slightly. She was almost looking at him, a gesture so tentative it reminded him of a flower the day before it bloomed.

“That you were a silly boy for the same reason I’m a silly girl,” she said quietly, her lips barely moving.

She was so close, and the harsh glow of the city lights couldn’t dim the hope in her eyes. A question quivered inside of them that deafened him, consumed him. And for the first time in his life, the fear of being consumed was less than the fear of missing out.

He leaned in, ever so slightly and reached tentative fingers towards her cheek. He felt a shallow breath caress his skin and then he stopped. She was holding her breath. But he couldn’t look away from her lips, from what was so close to being his, so he froze. He had to be sure. This girl who didn’t balk or mock the truth of his past didn’t deserve to be scared away.

With all the nerve he had left, he finally let his eyes flick to hers.

She closed the gap between them in an instant.

He didn’t thaw at first, but when his mind finally registered the heat of her lips on his, he kissed her back. One hand found her cheek and the other, her arm to steady himself. Her fervor was dizzying, but if that’s what it meant to spin, he’d take it. He’d gladly take it.

But just as quickly as she kissed him, she pulled away, taking all of his air with her. His hand left her face, still tingling with the memory. He wasn’t ready to let go of her arm yet, because if he did, he might fall over. He tried to process her expression: the flush on her cheeks, the softness in her eyes as she watched him, the tentative way they seemed to study him. And she was still letting him rest a hand on her arm. He let himself hope.

“Thank you,” was all she said.

“Shouldn’t that be my line? I don’t want to be presumptuous but… Where does this leave us?” he asked, bewildered, because it all felt so incongruous.

Kyoko shrugged, tilting her head from side to side in contemplation, a smile flirting with the corners of her lips.

“I say we do what we’ve been doing.”

“Oh?” The disappointment that wanted to seep into his voice was only just held at bay.

She pulled his hands into hers and looked up with glittering eyes.

“We work on our gardens while we work on ourselves. And, judging by the way things have been going between you and me.” A short giggle left her lips. “I think the rest will just sort of… happen. I mean, hasn’t it already?”

He couldn’t stop the rumble of laughter that nearly imploded his chest upon its release. “If this is what happens completely by accident, I’d almost hate to see what would result if we were ever to do anything on purpose.”

Her eyes lit up. “Could you imagine? If we had our heads on straight enough to make a plan?”

### Author Notes

Two birbs and a bard walked into a bar and a chapter walked out. Gold star if you can figure out who wrote which part.

Smooches from Akis, Aikori, and Persie, a.k.a.

~Three Authors in a Trenchcoat


	7. Risk

## 7\. Risk

[ncisduckie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ncisduckie/pseuds/ncisduckie) [[FFN](https://www.fanfiction.net/u/3040642)]

He came out of an emergency session with Dr. Lee to find a handful of missed calls and dozens of frantic texts from Kyoko. The blood rushed from his face as he remembered that he had plans to meet Kyoko in the garden.

He begged her to come after her long morning shift, promising a surprise. The night before, he found a way to potentially integrate hibiscus into her plot. He had even found a plant at a nearby nursery that he intended to buy before meeting her. However, those plans came to a halt when that disorienting e-mail arrived in his inbox to ruin his day.

Her last text, timestamped half an hour ago, told him that she was waiting outside his apartment.

Ren burst from the elevator, thoughts of the e-mail forgotten. A panicked shout spilled from his mouth. He shot into the hall. “Kyoko!”

His anxiety melted as he ran toward his apartment and found the girl-in-question slouching at his door. But she didn’t turn when he called. _Odd_. He slowed as he approached, holding his breath.

She was asleep.

He released that breath as an amused half-laugh. Beside her sat two to-go cups and a small bouquet of flowers he recognized from her plot. Her bangs fell in front of her eyes and her lips dropped open as she breathed lightly. He crouched beside her as quietly as he could. He’d never seen her so peaceful in their short friendship; normally her face was a fountain of expression.

“Kyoko,” he breathed, brushing her bangs away from her eyes. Her nose scrunched as his fingers grazed her forehead but she didn’t wake up. “It’s time to wake up,” he said softly.

She yelped and flinched away. Her eyes popped open. Her hands flew to her face to adjust her bangs. “R—Ren! I mean, uh, Tsuruga-san!” Kyoko laughed, her face burning red. “What…” She bit her lip. “What are you doing here?”

“What am I doing here…?” He pulled back, trying not to dwell on the fact that her first instinct was to move away from him. He pushed down his embarrassment. Next time, he’d try something less invasive. If he got a ‘next time’, that is. “At my apartment?”

“Oh…” Kyoko looked down at her lap. “Right, yes. Uh, hello! Sorry for the intrusion,” she mumbled to her thighs.

Stifling a sigh, Ren eased himself into a sitting position across from her. He ran a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry for standing you up tonight.” She didn’t look up as he spoke. He couldn’t tell if she was angry with him or still flustered by the unconventional wake-up. “I had—”

Kyoko’s attention snapped back to him. “You don’t need to explain,” she interrupted, waving her hand casually. She smiled, her eyes shining. “I only wanted to make sure you were alive. You’re normally a very…”

Her words twisted his guilt deeper into his chest. “Punctual person?”

She laughed. “I was going to say an ‘effective scheduler,’ but punctual works.”

Ren gave her a tight smile and pushed himself up from the ground. He held a hand out to Kyoko, ignoring the warmth that crawled up his wrist as her fingers wrapped around his. “I’d like to explain, regardless. Do you have time to come inside?”

Kyoko stared at him for a long moment, making Ren fidget under her intense gaze. She reached her hand out but yanked it back to her chest before making any sort of contact. Instead, she ducked down and bounced up with the to-go cups and bouquet. “These are for you,” she blurted, thrusting the flowers and a cup into his chest. “I thought you were passed out sick or something, so now the gesture feels a little silly.” She laughed awkwardly. “But it’s the thought that counts, right?”

“Is that a ‘no’ on the talk?” he asked, accepting her offering. He brought the cup to his nose and let the smell of tea wash guilt over his senses. Ren’s free hand drifted to his jeans and hovered over his cell phone. Here he was, making all the wrong decisions and making Kyoko go out of her way because of his stupidity. “I… I’m sorry I worried you. It won’t happen again.”

“It’s a lavender London Fog,” she said. “If you heat it up it should be good as new.”

Ren nodded, giving her a tight-lipped smile. _I can take a hint._ He tried not to let his disappointment show on his face as he turned to his door. Of all the things he could have done… He had to go and make things awkward. “Goodnight, Mogami-san.”

He unlocked his apartment and pulled the door open, already trying to plan how he would make this faux pas up to her. He needed something more than a hibiscus plant. Maybe fairy figurines?

“Wait.” Kyoko tugged the back of his coat, stopping him halfway through the door. She took a deep breath. “I’d like to talk.”

He turned. His heart fluttered as he looked back to Kyoko’s blushing face. He waited patiently for her to speak, trying not to get his hopes up. Her reactions were unpredictable; he knew that. That, however, didn’t stop him from selfishly praying she changed her mind.

“I, uh, am not… used to being invited into people’s apartments. Much less a man’s.” She chewed her lip and her eyes darted to the ground. “It took six months before Moko—from work—invited me to her apartment. And besides that, the only real friend I’ve had is Sho… I really would like to hear you out,” she said softly. “It might take me a moment to be ready, though.”

Ren felt himself smile before he realized what was happening. He schooled his expression as she looked back to him with a hopeful smile. Or, at least, he hoped it was a hopeful smile. “Take your time.”

He let himself in and kept the door open as he slipped into the apartment. Kyoko lingered in the hall as he pulled his shoes off and deposited his keys on the entryway table. Trying not to stress her out more, Ren continued as normally as he could. He left Kyoko’s tea and flowers on his coffee table and slid into the soft leather of his couch.

Except that’s where the ‘normal’ ended.

This was where he would start stripping and change into something comfortable. He would take his contacts off. And maybe he would order take-out if sleep didn’t take him first.

Instead, he found his attention darting across his apartment, trying to see it from the perspective of an outsider. It was sparsely decorated. Hardly lived in, according to Yashiro. Ren found himself suddenly nervous for all the wrong reasons. He should have been anxious about sharing the e-mail that derailed their evening plans—not worrying about interior decorating or the lack thereof.

Finally, she stepped into his apartment.

She moved slowly as she crossed into his entryway and slipped her shoes off at the door. Her eyes glided over the room and she frowned, stopping short of the couch. “Oh,” she breathed. “It’s just a normal apartment.”

“Were you expecting something else?” Ren asked, amused with her obvious disappointment.

She laughed awkwardly, sitting beside him on the couch. “You used to be Hollywood royalty. Your apartment could have been gilded with gold for all I knew.”

Ren rolled his eyes. “Only the bedroom is gold,” he joked.

They sat there in silence while Ren tried to figure out the best way to breach the subject of standing her up. However, there was no good transition. All he could do was jump right into it.

“So, tonight I scheduled an emergency session with my therapist.” He started, reaching for the tea. Kyoko’s brows furrowed and she reached out to him as he took a long sip. The cold, surprisingly saccharine earl grey trailed down his throat as she watched in horror. He smiled into his cup. Was it wrong he liked the drink because of who brought it for him? “This ‘fog’ thing is great, by the way. Thanks again.”

“You’re… That’s supposed to be heated.” He raised a brow and Kyoko flushed. “I mean, wow is everything okay?” She let out a half-strangled attempt at a laugh. “Of course things aren’t okay. Emergency therapy session. Duh.”

“I’m…” Ren hesitated, suddenly feeling silly. He could do this; he already explained the situation to Dr. Lee. What made Kyoko any different? He pulled his phone out, clicking through his open apps before pulling up the offending e-mail. “It’s easier to show you.”

Kyoko accepted his phone and turned her eyes down to the screen. Her brows furrowed as she scrolled and Ren’s chest tightened. At this point, he could probably recite the e-mail from memory. Hiroaki Date, the head writer of the Featured section of _Weekly Entertainment_ , wanted to know if he would be amenable to meet for an interview to discuss the 10-year anniversary of _Peter Pan_ ’s first episode. The feature would include segments from every other cast member; Kuon was the only one they were waiting on.

Normally Ren sent requests like this straight to spam. After the memes gained traction on Squawker, floods of interview requests pushed him into an anxious spiral that lasted longer than he cared to admit. The worst e-mails asked if Kuon was jealous of his cousin, Cedric D. Bennet who played one of the Lost Boys, eclipsing his fame.

Cedric ran with the Hollywood elite, picking up coveted roles in movies with star-studded casts. He was one of the most eligible bachelors on the big screen.

And Ren was a vet tech.

There was something about this specific request that made him pause. Maybe it was that he was already in the process of coming clean after revealing himself to Kyoko. Maybe he was feeling inspired after they kissed. Or maybe it really was time to do as Dr. Lee said, and let loose. It had been a long, lonely two years in Japan.

After an hour of hashing things through with Dr. Lee, he left with only a warning that he needed to make this decision on his own. However, he was interested in what Kyoko had to say—if she had anything to say at all.

Finally, Kyoko looked up and handed the phone back. “I see,” she said neutrally.

Ren coughed, tugging at the collar of his shirt. “That’s exactly what my therapist said.”

She pursed her lips and stayed quiet for an unbearably long moment. “Is there a problem with the interview?” She tilted her head. “I mean, besides the fact you’ve hidden your identity for…”

“Only two years,” Ren said quietly. He looked to his hands. “I’ve been here for two years.”

“Are you going to… hide it forever?”

“Are you?” He snapped defensively, thinking of how desperately she tried hiding her workplace from him. He deflated as he watched her flinch and hold her hands up in a defensive position. What was he thinking? Ren dropped his voice to a bare whisper. “That’s an unfair comparison; sorry.”

Kyoko smiled, but Ren knew the action was strained. “I don’t plan on working at a cosplay cafe for the rest of my life. My legacy of ‘Mio’ won’t follow me to Squawker or have a Wikipedia page.” She rested a hand on Ren’s knee. “It won’t do me any good to hate this journey, wherever it takes me. One day I’ll be able to look back on this fondly because I eventually became the person I was meant to be.” She smiled sheepishly. “Besides, it led me here, so it can’t be too bad.”

The smile he returned barely stretched across his mouth. He pulled away from Kyoko. “It’s hard to think about Peter Pan and think positively.” It was more than the memes that plagued him. Everything about the set environment made him hate acting, from his castmates to the never-ending interviews asking him what it was like to be on a primetime show at only 14. What started as an entrance into larger-scale productions quickly squashed his dreams to continue acting. But Kyoko didn’t know that; his parents didn’t even know that. “I grew up in a world where my choices were more than my own—the biggest choice I made for myself was leaving acting. That’s why Dr. Lee had me start gardening; it was an easy way to regain control of my life. Now I call the shots.”

“Are you happy, though?” Kyoko frowned. “’Cause you looked terrified when you revealed your identity to me. There are two options here. One: You can pretend Peter Pan never happened; ignore this Date person. Your life will continue as it has since you moved here.” She poked his chest and forced him to look at her. “Two: You let life be messy, take a risk, and do the interview. Life isn’t filled with those clean lines you’ve forced into your garden. It’s chaotic and unpredictable, but that makes the good parts worth it. You can’t predict the outcome of the interview. You can’t predict public opinion, either.” She smiled, but the action didn’t meet her eyes. Mio, he realized. “Trust me, I’ve tried.”

Ren smiled wryly. “Have you ever considered becoming a therapist?”

“Huh?”

He waved the question away, refocusing on the problem. Apparently, he did need to be told things twice because Dr. Lee essentially told him the same thing. First her. Now Kyoko. To be honest, it almost felt easier to hear it from Kyoko instead of his therapist. He pulled his shoulders back and looked her in the eye. “I’ll do it,” Ren said. “If you think I should do it—I will.”

“Don’t do it for me,” she said. Kyoko reached for his hand, wrapping his fingers with hers. When he tried to pull away, she held on tight. She smiled. “Do it for yourself.” She squeezed his hand. “Do it for Kuon Hizuri.”

His heart clenched. “Kuon…”

Even to those who did know him as Kuon, he still preferred to be referred to as ‘Ren.’ He had been distancing himself from the name for two long years that he couldn’t remember the last time he did something for Kuon. Therapy, too, hadn’t been to help Kuon. It was to help his Ren persona stay in charge.

He looked at Kyoko, tears pricking his eyes. This girl, who earnestly asked him to search for fairies, when had she become so wise?

“You’re right,” he said breathlessly. The words sounded foreign as he spoke, like a new language spilled out of him. “I’ll do it and… We’ll see where things go from there.”

Kyoko smiled. “Sounds like a wonderful plan.”

* * *

Interview Day came too quickly, even after waiting for Hiroaki Date to fly to Tokyo. It wasn’t his intention to drag his interviewer across the world for an interview, but he insisted on visiting in-person. It would make the interview ‘more authentic,’ whatever that meant.

Ren arrived at the garden gate ten minutes early, but his preparation was in vain. A pale, fair-haired man stood at the gate with his back to Ren. Even from a distance, Ren easily recognized Hiroaki Date.

“Mr. Date?” he asked, approaching him from behind with as much confidence he could muster. “I’m early. I hope that’s all right?”

Hiroaki turned, breaking into a grin as his eyes landed on Ren. He motioned at him with a laugh. “You’re—You’re Kuon Hizuri!”

Ren smiled, looking into the garden. It was empty. He chuckled, scratching his head. “It’s strange being called that here, though.”

Recognition flickered across Hiroaki’s face. “You’re hiding your identity.”

“Walk with me,” Ren said, pulling the gate open. He weaved Hiroaki through the plots, idly pointing out his favorites. He spent a few moments too long in front of LoveMe, LoveMoe’s plot before finally stopping at his own. “And this is my…” His eyes latched onto the green fruit budding from his tomato plant. Green fruit that wasn’t there the other day.

“Oh, one moment.” He crouched down and shoved his phone into the greenery. He shot several photos from different angles before spamming Kyoko with the images in a text. _Look what sprouted!!_

She replied within seconds. _A good omen! Good luck!_

Ren smiled at his phone before falling into a sitting position beside his plot. “This is my garden,” he explained. He patted the dirt beside him, and to his surprise, Hiroaki sat without hesitating. “I know this is an unconventional interview space.”

Hiroaki shook his head. “Anywhere I can talk to you is wonderful.”

“You sure know how to flatter a guy.”

“Kind of have to, with a job like this.” He laughed, turning to the greenery. “Though I will say, I’m surprised by your garden.”

Defensiveness plucked his shoulders and Ren’s ease was lost to anxiety. “Surprised?”

Hiroaki laughed. “No, no! Please don’t be offended. I’m interested, mostly, in your arrangement.” He pointed to the plot. “Your vegetables are very tidy, meticulously so. But your flowers are a little all over the place.”

Ren followed Hiroaki’s finger to admire the bluebells poking through his previously perfect plot. His nerves melted at the sight of the flowers. He and Kyoko moved them from her plot to make room for new herbs for the cafe. Hiroaki was right; they didn’t fit with the carefully laid plot he started with. He wouldn’t have it any other way.

He shrugged, turning back to Hiroaki. “It’s a labor of love… and trust. Those flowers are rumored to attract fairies, you know?”

“Fairies?”

“I didn’t believe it, either.” Ren chuckled. “They’re only partly mine, though. I planted them with another gardener in the area. She has a very active trust in magic.”

“Really?” Hiroaki’s eyes darted to the LoveMe, LoveMoe plot and he laughed. He pulled his phone out, opening the voice recorder app as he turned to Ren. He showed him the app. “Is it okay if I record?”

Ren hesitated; it had been so long since someone asked him that. However, he wouldn’t let the question shake him. This was the easy part. He donned an air of indifference and waved his hand. “Go ahead.”

A silence fell between them as Hiroaki fiddled with his phone and the recording started. The air shifted from casual to professional. Hiroki sat back, resting on his hands, and grinned.

Ren slowly let out a breath and waited.

Finally, Hiroaki spoke. “So, tell me, Kuon Hizuri, how have you been?”

* * *

“You look happy.” Kyoko approached him shortly after Hiroaki departed.

Her voice shook him from his thoughts. It was over; next month’s issue of _Weekly Entertainment_ would reveal what happened to Kuon Hizuri. He ended up talking with Hiroaki for well over their planned hour and even promised to keep an eye on his e-mail for follow-up questions. But with the arrival of Kyoko, he had other things to think about.

He reached for her hand as she settled beside him, pressing a kiss into her palm. “I feel happy,” he said honestly. “I can’t remember the last time I was happy to be referred to professionally as ‘Kuon.’”

She smiled, folding her fingers over his hand. “I take it the interview went well?”

“Mr. Date was very friendly,” Kuon said.

“I hope so, given the trouble he put you through.”

His brows furrowed. “He didn’t…”

“He called our flowers ‘all over the place.’ Which is pretty rude, by the way.” Kyoko managed a serious pensive look for a moment before bursting into laughter.

Kuon smiled. “You were hiding in the shed?”

She nodded, her giggles filling the garden.

“Very sneaky.” He laughed, unable to be mad at her for eavesdropping. “Very, very sneaky.”

They smiled at each other and Kuon opened his mouth, intending to ask what she thought of the interview from an unbiased perspective when Kyoko’s smile shifted into something different. It wasn’t unhappy… but it wasn’t as bright as it was a moment ago. He frowned. She stared up at him, her brows furrowed as she chewed her lip. Kuon licked his lips and skimmed his face with his fingers. “Is something wrong?”

“Hmm? No.”

“Then…?”

“Your eyes,” she said. Kyoko leaned forward and brushed Kuon’s bangs from his forehead. She pressed her hands into his cheeks, staring into his eyes. “They’re green.”

He swallowed hard, trying not to shiver from her touch. His cheeks burned hotted every second they sat pressed together like this. “And?”

“They’re lovely. Very fairy-like,” she breathed. She released his face and sat back with a smile. “I can’t quite picture the blond hair, though.”

He snorted. “Even with that blond hair plastered across the internet?”

She rolled her eyes. “Why would your hair look the same on a changed face?”

“I was blonde until I was 22, you know.”

“And I’ve been in Japan all my life. The only time I’ve seen you as a blonde is on Squawker,” Kyoko countered with a scrunched nose. She waved her hand when Kuon opened his mouth to say something. “Do you think you’ll go back to blonde now that the secret’s out?”

Kuon paused. His nose scrunched at the imagery of a towering foreigner strolling the streets of Tokyo. Accepting his identity was one thing… Wandering around Japan as a six-foot-tall blonde was another. “Probably not.”

Kyoko laughed. “That’s fair.”

He leaned back, assessing the moment. His heart begged him to let go of one last thing he bundled up before the moment was lost. Even after two years of therapy, talking about his emotions didn’t come easy. Today would be different. Meeting Kyoko’s eyes, he schooled his face and braced himself for the worst.

“I wanted… to thank you,” he said.

“Thank me?” Kyoko balked. She raised her brows, motioning to his plot. “Certainly not for overtaking your garden!”

Kuon chuckled and reached for her hands. He took them both, squeezing softy. “For helping me through all of this. For not judging me. I just wanted to say…”

She looked at him, her lips frozen in a silent ‘o.’ Part of him knew he was moving too fast. The rest of him didn’t care. Kyoko was right; things were bound to go wrong if he tried to plan out every detail of his life. She needed to hear this.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “… I love you, Kyoko.”

For one awful, treacherous moment, she was quiet. Birds chirped and cars whizzed past the garden gates. All Kuon could hear was Kyoko’s steady breathing.

He opened his eyes and found her staring with wide, unblinking eyes. He dropped her hands and pulled his hands to his chest. If he could, he would take the words back and bury them deep in his heart. Their last kiss must have been a fluke; no wonder she wanted them to stay as they were.

“I’m… I’m sorry. That was forward of me,” he said, the words sticking to the back of his throat. His words tasted like the bitter dirt he kicked into his mouth as he weeded his plot. What was he thinking? “I know that’s not how things work here—mph!”

Kyoko tackled Kuon, sending their bodies backward. Her arms wrapped around his neck as she drew his face to hers. She pressed a chaste kiss against the side of his mouth before turning to plant one straight on his lips. The kiss was different from the one they last shared in the garden, the one that ended too soon for his liking. As her lips moved with his Kuon swore she was trying to communicate something. He was too dazed, too overjoyed to parse her message.

He pulled her closer until their bodies pressed together completely. This was far too intimate a move to pull in a public place, but he couldn’t muster the energy to stop. “I love you,” he repeated, pressing the words into her mouth.

She pulled back with a breathy laugh, resting her forehead against his. “I love you, too,” she whispered, punctuating each statement with a kiss dropped on different parts of his face. His nose. His cheek. His eyebrow. His ear. “I love you as Ren. I love you as Kuon. I even love you as Peter Pan.”

Kuon’s chest filled with warmth. He cradled Kyoko’s face, smiling as he ran his thumbs along the soft skin of her cheeks. He brushed his lips across her forehead before releasing her with a content grin. “Well, it’s settled, then.”

Her brows furrowed. “What—What’s settled?”

“We need to go on a date,” Kuon declared, pulling the two of them up from the ground without giving Kyoko a chance to reply. He grabbed her hand, laughing as she squeaked at his sudden ambush. Her cute reaction validated his impulsive decision; this is what he wanted when he woke her up in front of his apartment. “To celebrate,” he called over his shoulder, dragging them out of the garden and into the main street.

Kyoko laughed. “Celebrate your successful confession?”

Kuon squeezed her hand and turned back to her with a dazzling grin. Kyoko’s face flushed bright red as she stared. “To celebrate Kuon Hizuri,” he declared, loud enough to turn the heads of nearby pedestrians. He dropped his voice with a chuckle and kissed her hand. “ _And_ celebrate his very cute new girlfriend.”

### Author Notes

*collapses on the ground*

Thank you to the writers of both the AU and the canon groups for putting up with me when I started planning this back in MARCH. This was a long effort of love and I appreciate all the love that was directed toward me (enough that I was able to organize TWO groups to write for this project)! Thank you, of course, to my AU writers for coming together to create such a fun project for us to work on!

Many thanks, too, to the coordinators of KyokoRen Week—specifically the mod(s?) for the FYeahKyokoRen blog on Tumblr! You give us great words to lead the week every year and I hope we were able to live up to them!

And of course, thank you to the Skip Beat! community for accepting yet another one of our humble collabs.

~[ncisduckie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ncisduckie/pseuds/ncisduckie)


End file.
